Relationship between Nutritional Scales and Prognosis in Elderly Patients after Acute Ischemic Stroke: Comparison of Controlling Nutritional Status Score and Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index

Background/Aims: Undernutrition is common in patients after acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and predicts poor clinical outcomes. We assessed the relationship between undernutrition and prognosis after AIS. Methods: We retrospectively assessed consecutively hospitalized AIS patients aged >= 65 years. A poor prognosis for patients after AIS was defined as a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of >= 3 at discharge. Nutritional status was evaluated based on the degree and risk of undernutrition as determined by the Controlling Nutritional Status (UND-CONUT) and Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (UNR-GNRI) scores. Results: Among 218 patients (male, 62.8%; median age, 77 years), 81 had a poor prognosis. A significant correlation was found between UND-CONUT and UNR-GNRI scores (p < 0.001, r = 0.433). Patients with a poor prognosis showed significant undernutrition based on UND-CONUT (p = 0.003) but not on UNR-GNRI (p = 0.218). Patients with undernutrition based on UND-CONUT showed poor outcomes: higher mRS scores at discharge, higher percentages of mRS scores of >= 2 and >= 3, and more complications associated with pneumonia. No significant differences were seen between cases with and without undernutrition risk based on UNR-GNRI. Conclusion: UND-CONUT appeared to be more useful than UNR-GNRI for predicting the prognosis of elderly patients with AIS at discharge.

Automated summary

This study found a significant correlation between UNR-GNRI and UND-CONUT scores after acute ischemic stroke. The presence of undernutrition based on UND-CONUT scores was associated with poor prognosis after AIS.