Nutritional assessment of an Italian population of elderly hip fracture patients: a comparison between sexes and types of fractures

Abstract

Malnutrition is highly prevalent in elderly patients with hip fractures (HF) (intracapsular and extracapsular). Many factors influence the patterns of HF, but the role of nutrition is not yet clear. In this investigation, an analysis of the body compositions of geriatric patients with HF was conducted, to identify differences in the nutritional status between male and female patients with intra- and extra-capsular HF. The nutritional assessment of patients was performed using three different techniques: anthropometrics measurement, plicometry, and bioimpedance analysis. The most prevalent type of fracture in females was the extracapsular type, while the intracapsular type is more common in males. Males showed a lower BMI, fat percentage and a greater length of hospital stay (LOS). Patients with intracapsular fractures are more malnourished compared with patients with extracapsular fractures. Males with HF have a higher prevalence of intracapsular fractures compared to women and stayed in hospital longer