Geriatric nutritional risk index correlates with length of hospital stay and inflammatory markers in older inpatients

Summary Background u0026 aims Malnutrition is a prevalent condition in older inpatients and has been shown to increase morbidity and direct medical costs. A number of established tools to assess malnutrition are available but malnourished patients rarely receive adequate nutritional assessment and treatment. The medical and economic consequences of malnutrition in hospitalized patients are therefore often underestimated. This study investigates whether the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) predicts hospital mortality, correlates with length of hospital stay (LOS) and inflammatory markers in older inpatients. Methods We conducted a prospective monocentric study in 500 hospital patients over 65 years of age (female: 248; male: 252; age: 76.3 ± 0.31 years). GNRI was correlated to C-reactive protein (CRP), lymphocyte count, LOS and all-cause mortality, adjusted for potential confounders. Results The median body mass index was 24.1 (25th percentile: 21.1; 75th percentile: 27.8) kg/m 2 and the mean GNRI 82.2 ± 0.56. A higher risk GNRI was associated with increased CRP levels (p  Conclusions The GNRI correlates well with indicators of inflammation and the length of hospital stay. The routine implementation of the GNRI for the nutritional assessment of older patients could have a significant medical and socio-economic impact.