Table 2.
Baseline (T0) differences in demographic, clinical, and nutritional status assessment of malnourished subjects (n = 43) and non-malnourished subjects (n = 66). Data are reported as mean ± standard deviation. p-values refer to Mann–Whitney U test or chi-squared t-test.
| Baseline Characteristics | Malnourished (n = 43) |
Non-Malnourished (n = 66) |
p-Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gender, women | 24 (56%) | 27 (41%) | 0.127 |
| Age (years) | 67 ± 12 | 72 ± 9 | 0.154 |
| Anthropometric measurements | |||
| Weight (kg) | 57 ± 10 | 77 ±16 | <0.001 *** |
| Height (m) | 1.64 ± 10 | 1.67 ± 11 | 0.232 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 21.0 ± 2.3 | 27.3 ± 4.3 | <0.001 *** |
| Index stroke type | |||
| Ischemic | 35 (81%) | 51 (77%) | 0.606 |
| Hemorrhagic | 8 (19%) | 15 (23%) | |
| Affected side | |||
| Right | 21 (49%) | 37 (56%) | 0.460 |
| Left | 22 (51%) | 29 (44%) | |
| Smoking habit (smokers and ex-smokers) | 17 (40%) | 33 (52%) | 0.231 |
| Comorbidities | |||
| Hypertension | 32 (74%) | 61 (92%) | 0.009 ** |
| Type 2 Diabetes | 9 (21%) | 19 (29%) | 0.359 |
| Dyslipidemia | 15(35%) | 30(45%) | 0.273 |
| Heart disease | 4 (25%) | 12 (75%) | 0.200 |
| Dysphagia | 23 (53%) | 26 (39%) | 0.148 |
| Cumulative Illness Rating Scale (CIRS) | |||
| CIRS severity | 2.2 ± 0.4 | 2.2 ± 0.4 | 0.270 |
| CIRS comorbidity | 5.3 ± 1.9 | 5.0 ± 2.1 | 0.259 |
| Days from stroke onset to enrollment | 93 ± 51 | 82 ± 61 | 0.075 |
| Activities of daily living (ADL) assessment | |||
| modified Barthel Index (0–100) | 43 ± 20 | 41 ± 23 | 0.680 |
| Hematochemical analyses | |||
| Glucose (mg/dL) | 113 ± 45 | 108 ± 35 | 0.717 |
| Cholesterol (mg/dL) | 126 ± 41 | 125 ± 33 | 0.779 |
| HDL cholesterol (mg/dL) | 57 ± 18 | 49 ± 15 | 0.037 |
| Ratio (cholesterol/HDL cholesterol) | 2.3 ± 0.9 | 2.7 ± 0.9 | 0.059 |
| Triglycerides (mg/dL) | 113 ± 42 | 130 ± 66 | 0.138 |
| Albumin (g/L) | 3.7 ± 0.5 | 3.9 ± 0.4 | 0.020 * |
* p-value < 0.05; ** p-value < 0.01; *** p-value < 0.001.