Title:Identification of Malnutrition upon Hospital Admission Using the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition Criteria
Volume: 17
Issue: 8
Author(s): Mirey Karavetian, Mona S. Hashim, Wafa Ayesh, Leila C. Ismail and Cosette F. El Khoury*
Affiliation:
- Department of Natural Sciences, Lebanese American University, Beirut,Lebanon
Keywords:
Hospital malnutrition, muscle strength, muscle quality, GLIM criteria, malnutrition diagnosis, handgrip strength.
Abstract:
Background: Criteria for the diagnosis of malnutrition are still not uniform, and different
tools have been proposed. Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) is a newly
developed consensus diagnostic criteria tool.
Objective: This study aims to determine the prevalence of malnutrition using the GLIM diagnostic
criteria upon admission to the hospital in the United Arab Emirates and evaluate the role muscle
strength can play in the accuracy of this diagnosis.
Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that was carried out in two hospitals (Rashid Hospital,
Dubai, and Qassimi Hospital, Sharjah) in the United Arab Emirates. Low body mass index or significant
weight loss were used as phenotypic criteria; reduced food intake or the presence of disease
were used as etiological criteria. Muscle strength was measured using a handgrip strength
dynamometer as a supportive measure.
Results: A total of 371 patients were recruited, of which a total of 103 patients (27.76%) were
diagnosed with malnutrition according to GLIM. The prevalence of low muscle strength was seen
in 60.47% of females (≤ 16.0 kg) and 61.82% males (≤ 27 kg). A total of 209 patients (58.22%)
were diagnosed with malnutrition, accounting for low muscle strength as a proxy for muscle mass
under the phenotypic criteria.
Conclusion: The study opens a direction for future research to evaluate the feasibility and practicality
of the proposed GLIM criteria. It also opens a path for the validation of muscle strength and
relevant cut-off points across ages, genders, and ethnicities as a diagnostic criterion for malnutrition.
