Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF GERIATRICS AND GERONTOLOGY, sa.1, ss.1-7, 2024 (ESCI)
Objective: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic, progressive disease commonly affecting the elderly. Among patients with PD (pwPD), those above 60 years old are considered to be at high risk of malnutrition. Weight loss is a common complaint in pwPD. Thus, we defined the risk factors for malnutrition in geriatric pwPD. Materials and Methods: We enrolled 66 pwPD above the age of 60 years. Socio-demographic features were recorded and comprehensive geriatric assessments were evaluated. Malnutrition was assessed using a mini-nutritional assessment questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements including body mass index, mid-upper arm circumference, and calf circumference (CC) were recorded. Results: Seven (10.6%) pwPD had malnutrition, 22 (33.3%) pwPD were at risk of malnutrition. Univariate logistic regression analysis results revealed that low CC, presence of dyskinesia, advanced Hoehn & Yahr stage, levodopa doses of >= 400 mg/day, and difficulty in swallowing (p=0.035, p=0.041, p=0.048, p=0.027 and p=0.007, respectively) were strongly related to malnutrition among the pwPD. Difficulty in swallowing was independently related to malnutrition in pwPD [odds ratio: 7.81 (confidence interval: 2.17-28.10), p=0.002]. Conclusion: PD is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the geriatric population and is likely to cause malnutrition because of several disabling symptoms in the progressive course of the disease, such as dysphagia. To avoid or delay poorer outcomes, clinicians should be careful to identify malnutrition with appropriate screening tools during follow-up of pwPD.