NUTRITIONAL PROFILE OF ELDERLY PATIENTS SUFFERED BY ISCHEMIC STROKE: A CROSS-CROSS STUDY CARRIED OUT IN A REFERENCE HOSPITAL IN CEARÁ

Abstract

The compromised nutritional situation in elderly people with stroke leads to an unfavorable prognosis, increases hospital stay, complications, morbidities and sequelae. The objective of the present study was to identify the nutritional profile of hospitalized elderly patients suffering from ischemic stroke in a reference hospital in the interior of Ceará. This is an observational, crosssectional study, with a quantitative approach, developed at the Ischemic Stroke Unit of the Hospital Regional do Cariri, with elderly people admitted with a diagnosis of a first stroke event. Data collection was carried out from February to May 2023. The variables analyzed were sex, age, BMI and the NIHSS and MNA scales. A descriptive analysis of the data was carried out and Pearson's chi-square was applied, at 5% as a significance level. Fifty-one individuals participated in the study, predominantly male (56.86%), aged between 71 and 80 years old (37.26%) and diagnosed with mild stroke (43.14%), with a higher incidence of eutrophy (47.06 %) by BMI and normal nutritional status (50.98%) by MNA. There was no significant association between stroke severity and BMI and MNA. The findings may be useful for developing health-promoting strategies, but more studies are still needed to better elucidate this relationship.