Table 2.
Nutritional assessment measures available at present.
| Methods | Definition | Parameters | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| BIOCHEMICAL INDICATORS | |||
| Albumin | Visceral protein reflecting the net result of hepatic synthesis, plasma distribution, and protein loss | Albumin <35 g/l as a sign of malnutrition | Omran and Morley, 2000 |
| Prealbumin | A Transport protein for thyroxine | <2 g/l as a sign of malnutrition | Omran and Morley, 2000 |
| TLC | Calculated by multiplying the white blood count by the automated percent lymphocytes | <1,500 per cubic millimeter as a sign of malnutrition | Omran and Morley, 2000 |
| ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENT | |||
| BMI | Weight [kg]/[height in m]2 | Patients <65 years: BMI <20 risk of malnutrition; Patients>65 years: BMI <21 risk of malnutrition | Markus et al., 1993; Beyer et al., 1995 |
| TSF | Measured in mm at the mid-point between the olecranon and acromion process of the right arm using Harpenden calipers | — | Durrieu et al., 1992 |
| MAC | Measured in cm at the mid-point between the olecranon and acromion process of the right arm | — | Durrieu et al., 1992 |
| AMC | MAC -(TSF*0.314) | — | Durrieu et al., 1992 |
| CHANGE IN WEIGHT | |||
| Weight loss | Clinically significant weight loss | Loss exceeding 5% in 3 months, or 10% in 6 months | Uc et al., 2006 |
| NUTRITION SCREENING AND ASSESSMENT TOOLS | |||
| MNA | A multidimensional instrument including anthropometry, diet, and global assessment | Normal nutritional status (>24) At risk of undernutrition (17–23.5) Malnourished (<17) |
Laudisio et al., 2014; Ghazi et al., 2015 |
| MUST | A comprehensive assessment including BMI, weight change, food intake | Low risk (0) Medium risk (1) High risk (≥2) |
Jaafar et al., 2010 |
| SGA | A medical history and a physical examination of fat stores, muscle status and fluid status | Well nourished (A) Moderately malnourished (B) Severely malnourished (C) |
Sheard et al., 2013a |
| ANSI | The Australian Nutrition Screening Initiative consisting of 12 questions | No nutritional risk (0) Low nutritional risk (1–3) Moderate nutritional risk (4–5) |
Koritsas and Iacono, 2015 |
| High nutritional risk (>6) | |||
TSF, triceps skinfold thickness; MAC, mid-armcircumference; AMC, arm-muscle circumference; MNA, Mini-Nutritional Assessment; MUST, Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool; SGA, Subjective Global Assessment; ANSI, Australian Nutrition Screening Initiative; TLC, total lymphocyte count.