Clinical nutrition
Encyclopedia
Clinical nutrition is nutrition
of patients in health care
. Clinical in this sense refers to the manage of patients, not only outpatients at clinic
s, but also, and actually mainly, inpatients in hospitals. It incorporates mainly the scientific fields of nutrition
and dietetics
. It aims to keep a healthy energy balance
in patients, as well as providing sufficient amounts other nutrients such as protein, vitamins, minerals.
. Alternatives include enteral administration (in nasogastric feeding, and intravenous (in parenteral nutrition).
that is mainly associated with poverty.
The main causes of clinical malnutrition are:
Also clinical malnutrition may also be aggravated by iatrogenic factors, that is, inability of the health care
entity to appropriately compensate for causes of malnutrition.
There are various definitions of clinical malnutrition. According to one of them, patients are defined as severely undernourished when meeting at least one of the following criteria: BMI
< or = 20 kg/m2 and/or > or = 5% unintentional weight loss in the past month and/or > or = 10% unintentional weight loss in the past 6 months. By the same system, the patient is moderately undernourished if they met at least one of the following criteria: BMI 20.1–22 kg/m2 and/or 5-10% unintentional weight loss in the past six months.
is the highest-ranked journal in ISI
's nutrition category.
Nutrition
Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....
of patients in health care
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
. Clinical in this sense refers to the manage of patients, not only outpatients at clinic
Clinic
A clinic is a health care facility that is primarily devoted to the care of outpatients...
s, but also, and actually mainly, inpatients in hospitals. It incorporates mainly the scientific fields of nutrition
Nutrition
Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....
and dietetics
Diet (nutrition)
In nutrition, diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. Dietary habits are the habitual decisions an individual or culture makes when choosing what foods to eat. With the word diet, it is often implied the use of specific intake of nutrition for health or weight-management...
. It aims to keep a healthy energy balance
Energy balance (biology)
In biology, energy balance is the biological homeostasis of energy in living systems. It is measured with the following equation: Energy intake = internal heat produced + external work + storage. It is also an aspect of bioenergetics, concerning energy flow through living systems.It generally uses...
in patients, as well as providing sufficient amounts other nutrients such as protein, vitamins, minerals.
Methods of nutrition
Among the routes of administration, the preferred means of nutrition is, if possible, oral administrationOral administration
Oral administration is a route of administration where a substance is taken through the mouth.-Terminology:Per os is an adverbial phrase meaning literally from Latin "by mouth" or "by way of the mouth." The expression is used in medicine to describe a treatment that is taken orally. The...
. Alternatives include enteral administration (in nasogastric feeding, and intravenous (in parenteral nutrition).
Clinical malnutrition
In the field of clinical nutrition, malnutrition has distinct causes, epidemiology and management than malnutritionMalnutrition
Malnutrition is the condition that results from taking an unbalanced diet in which certain nutrients are lacking, in excess , or in the wrong proportions....
that is mainly associated with poverty.
The main causes of clinical malnutrition are:
- CachexiaCachexiaCachexia or wasting syndrome is loss of weight, muscle atrophy, fatigue, weakness, and significant loss of appetite in someone who is not actively trying to lose weight...
caused by diseases, injuries and/or aging - Difficulties with ingestion, such as strokeStrokeA stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
, paresisParesisParesis is a condition typified by partial loss of voluntary movement or by impaired movement. When used without qualifiers, it usually refers to the limbs, but it also can be used to describe the muscles of the eyes , the stomach , and also the vocal cords...
, dementiaDementiaDementia is a serious loss of cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging...
, depressionDepression (mood)Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless...
, dysphagiaDysphagiaDysphagia is the medical term for the symptom of difficulty in swallowing. Although classified under "symptoms and signs" in ICD-10, the term is sometimes used as a condition in its own right. Sufferers are sometimes unaware of their dysphagia....
Also clinical malnutrition may also be aggravated by iatrogenic factors, that is, inability of the health care
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
entity to appropriately compensate for causes of malnutrition.
There are various definitions of clinical malnutrition. According to one of them, patients are defined as severely undernourished when meeting at least one of the following criteria: BMI
Body mass index
The body mass index , or Quetelet index, is a heuristic proxy for human body fat based on an individual's weight and height. BMI does not actually measure the percentage of body fat. It was invented between 1830 and 1850 by the Belgian polymath Adolphe Quetelet during the course of developing...
< or = 20 kg/m2 and/or > or = 5% unintentional weight loss in the past month and/or > or = 10% unintentional weight loss in the past 6 months. By the same system, the patient is moderately undernourished if they met at least one of the following criteria: BMI 20.1–22 kg/m2 and/or 5-10% unintentional weight loss in the past six months.
Journals
The American Journal of Clinical NutritionAmerican Journal of Clinical Nutrition
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal in the field of clinical nutrition.According to the Journal Citation Reports, it has a 2009 impact factor of 6.307, ranking it third among 66 journals in the category "Nutrition & Dietetics".The journal was...
is the highest-ranked journal in ISI
Institute for Scientific Information
The Institute for Scientific Information was founded by Eugene Garfield in 1960. It was acquired by Thomson Scientific & Healthcare in 1992, became known as Thomson ISI and now is part of the Healthcare & Science business of the multi-billion dollar Thomson Reuters Corporation.ISI offered...
's nutrition category.