The other end of the scales?

A survey released today has found that 1 in 5 people in the UK mistakenly believe that malnutrition is only a problem in the third world! However, they couldn’t be further from the truth. With over 3 million people in the UK being malnourished or at risk of malnutrition, it is actually far closer to home.

Despite the scale of the problem, malnutrition does not receive the recognition it deserves - a fact reinforced by an overwhelming 90% of the GPs surveyed who agreed that the issue of malnutrition in the UK is not given enough focus.

Malnutrition is common in all age groups, although significantly more so in individuals over 65 years and is more prevalent in people with existing illnesses such as cancer, HIV/AIDS and dementia to name but a few. Yet less than half of respondents were able to identify these causes of malnutrition.

Malnourished patients have increased healthcare costs with 65% more GP visits, 82% more hospital admissions and 30% longer hospital stays than patients without malnutrition. Public expenditure on disease-related malnutrition in the UK in 2007 was estimated to be in excess of £13 billion per annum. This is considerably more than the cost of obesity.

Additional groups considered ‘at risk’ include the frail and elderly and individuals who are suffering from chronic conditions. It is at these times when patients are most vulnerable to malnutrition and it seems that patients and carers may be missing key warning signs, such as unintentional weight loss.

When concerns are raised, patients and carers should ensure they are screened for malnutrition risk and are receiving the necessary nutrition support.

Dr Mike Stroud, chairman of BAPEN states “Malnutrition is a very common problem in the UK and patients would clearly benefit if it was recognised and treated promptly. The challenge is to ensure that all health professionals understand the scale of the problem and take it seriously”.