Malnutrition and Its Influence on Sepsis Outcomes in Elderly Patients

Background: Malnutrition is common among the elderly and has significant implications for hospitalization outcomes. This is particularly true for severe illnesses such as sepsis, given age-related physiological changes and comorbidities. Objective: This study examined how malnutrition affected hospitalization outcomes in older adults admitted for sepsis. Materials & methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted at Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan, from January to December 2023, focusing on 390 sepsis patients aged 55 years and older. Data on clinical history, length of stay, mortality rates, comorbidities, and nutritional assessments were collected using standardized forms. After controlling for confounding variables, statistical analysis using SPSS version 23 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) examined the relationship between hospitalization outcomes and nutritional status. Results: The research included 390 elderly sepsis patients and showed significant variations in the demographics, comorbidities, and severity of disease between the well-nourished and malnourished groups. Malnourished patients had higher rates of ICU admission (52.82% vs. 29.23%), mechanical ventilation (45.13% vs. 16.41%), mortality (27.18% vs. 14.87%), and 30 -day readmission (28.21% vs. 12.82%) as compared to the well-nourished group. They also had longer hospital stays (18.1 days vs. 12.6 days). Malnutrition significantly influenced outcomes, with multivariate analysis indicating it as a predictor of longer stays ( beta = 2.8, p < 0.001) and increased mortality risk (OR = 3.2, 95% CI: 1.9-5.4, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Malnutrition significantly worsens outcomes for elderly sepsis patients, increasing ICU admissions, ventilation needs, mortality rates, and readmissions, emphasizing the need for proactive nutritional interventions.