Relationship between Nutritional Status and the Clinical Outcomes of Patients with and without Neoplasms According to Multiple Correspondence Analysis.

BACKGROUND For many years, many studies have reported undesirable outcomes that may occur during the hospital stay of patients diagnosed with malnutrition or even at some nutritional risk. OBJECTIVE To investigate the relationship between nutritional status and clinical outcomes during hospital stay using the multiple correspondence analysis technique. METHODS This cross-sectional study included 600 patients with and without neoplasms. The following data were collected: subjective global assessment, nutritional indicators, nutritional risk screening, anthropometric data (body mass index (BMI), mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), mid-upper arm muscle circumference (MUAMC), triceps skinfold thickness (TST), recent weight loss (RWL)), and habitual energy intake (HEI/ER <75%). The clinical outcomes of interest were complications, length of hospital stay (LOHS), and death. The data were analyzed by the chi-square or Fisher's exact test at a significance level of 5%. Multiple correspondence analysis was used for the multivariate data analysis. RESULTS The multiple correspondence analysis map for the patients with neoplasms showed that the following characteristics were associated and represented by death, complications, and a greater likelihood of LOHS ≥7 days: underweight according to BMI; TST, MUAC, and MUAMC ≤15th percentile; malnutrition according to the subjective global assessment; at nutritional risk according to the nutritional risk screening; being male; age ≥60 years; and HEI/ER <75%. The multiple correspondence analysis map for the patients without neoplasms showed that the following characteristics were associated and represented by death: underweight according to BMI; TST ≤15th percentile; malnutrition according to the subjective global assessment; and at nutritional risk according to the nutritional risk screening. Complications and LOHS ≥7 days represented the categories male, no recent weight loss, HEI/ER <75%, MUAC and MUAMC ≤15th percentile, TST between the 15th and 85th percentiles, and age <60 years. CONCLUSION The results of this study confirm an association between unsatisfactory nutritional indicators and undesirable clinical outcomes.