Nutrition, Feeding and Eating
Malnutrition Associated with Specific Health Conditions
What specific health conditions increase the risk of malnutrition?
Malnutrition is said to be seen when one takes too much or too little of certain nutrients. Worldwide, this disease affects many people since some countries get a high risk of getting it due to the development of certain kinds of malnutrition based on their lifestyles, resources and surroundings. It is associated with severe health problems such as eyes issues, heart illnesses, diabetes etc. there are specific conditions that can increase the risk of malnutrition and they include, long-term conditions that lead to loss of appetite, vomiting among others. These long term conditions include lungs conditions and liver disease conditions.
Overview and Relevance
Malnutrition is a condition caused due to nutrients overconsumption or nutrients deficiency. It is associated with severe health conditions like eye disorders, heart disease, diabetes, etc. Different conditions can raise the risk of malnutrition, including long-term illnesses that contribute to lack of appetite, nausea, among others (McKinster, & Orozco‐Covarrubias, 2019). Such long-term illnesses include disorders in the lungs and liver problems. Other health conditions may consist of Psychological health disorders, such as schizophrenia, which may affect your performance and ability to eat conditions that impair your ability to consume food or consume nutrients, such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis dementia, can cause an individual to disregard their well-being and skip meals.
Malnutrition Screening Tool
MST is a reliable method to test people at risk of malnutrition. The device is perfect for an inpatient/outpatient care facility or adults in medical settings. The criteria of the diet panel include weight loss and appetite. Another tool is named Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) which is a quick and easy-to-use screening tool that requires below five minutes to complete. Calf curvature may be replaced for BMI in patients who cannot be evaluated or quantified. This is the most frequently used method of MNA.
Nursing Assessment Questions
- Depression
- Lack of appetite
- Lack of concentration
- Based on body tissues and muscle mass.
Factors that influence malnutrition
They include;
- Instability of the family
- Ignorance
- Large sizes of the families
- Expectable infections
- Poor environment
Anthropometry
Based on most hospital settings, nursing staff increase the length and mass needed for several therapies, including medication dosages. You will measure the height with a measuring stick or a non-stretchable glue that is connected to both a flat, vertical wall and a right-angled headboard. If possible, use a detachable measuring rod affixed to the upright scale of the platform.
The patient removes his shoes and stands straight so that to be measured the weight. Then the headboard is lowered to the top of the head. After that, you have to align your sightline with corresponding with the headboard level in order to obtain the correct measurements. Based on the mass, evaluate the patient after he’s already drained. Tell him to remove his sportswear, except underwear. Make sure that the device is determining the exact. Use a vertically beam-type scale for outpatients. To attain the patient’s mass, ask him to place his feet above the middle of the platform.
Clinical observation
Finding malnutrition associated with specific health conditions via physical assessment can be said to be imperative. The provision of malnutrition status is due to the evaluation of the general appearance of the patient, energy level and posture, weight and appetite, among others. Then there is the inspection of the skin, nails, hair not forgetting the oral cavity that helps to note malnutrition.
The patient should eat a balanced diet and avoid many nutrients from one type of nutrient. This is essential since people who are affected by diseases such as cancer, can limit their intake of nutrients or increase depending on the condition one is suffering from.
References
McKinster, C. D., & Orozco‐Covarrubias, L. (2019). Skin Manifestations of Nutritional Disorders. Harper’s Textbook of Pediatric Dermatology, 831-840.