Mini nutritional assessment short-form as a risk factor for mortality in patients with respiratory disease undergoing urgent hospitalization.

Abstract

Background: Studies of nutritional status in geriatric patients with respiratory diseases are limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the mortality risk of older patients undergoing urgent hospitalization for various respiratory diseases.

Methods: This was a retrospective study of patients aged ≥ 65 years with respiratory diseases who were urgently hospitalized between April 2022 and November 2024. The Mini Nutritional Assessment Short-Form (MNA-SF) was evaluated at the time of urgent admission, and the malnutrition risk was defined by the MNA-SF score < 11. Comorbidities and frailty were assessed using the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) and Clinical frailty scale (CFS), respectively. Biomarkers of inflammation and acute respiratory failure such as neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS), Respiratory rate-oxygenation (ROX) index, and the pulse oximetric saturation (SpO₂)/fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO₂) [S/F] ratio were calculated and analyzed as risk factors of in-hospital mortality.

Results: A total of 168 consecutive patients were enrolled in the study with median age of 77 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 72-84). Thirty-nine patients (23.2%) died during hospitalization, and the median time to death was 17 days (IQR: 10-25). Univariate analysis demonstrated that older age (> 77 years), low S/F ratio (< 315), low ROX (< 8.3), high NLR (> 6), high CFS (> 5), and low MNA-SF (< 11) were associated with in-hospital mortality, multivariate analysis revealed that low MNA-SF was an independent predictor.

Conclusions: The MNA-SF is a risk factor for mortality in older patients undergoing urgent hospitalization due to various respiratory diseases.