Objective:

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of malnutrition on mortality in immigrants and Turkish patients hospitalized in our ICU with the indication of gastrointestinal cancer.

Method:

This study was performed as a prospective observational study. One-hundered and three (41.3%) patients were Turkish and 146 (58.7%) were immigrants (all Syrian). Age, body mass index (BMI), duration of hospitalization, albumin value, and 30-day and 6-month mortality rates were evaluated. Also, the following assessment tools were calculated: Subjective Global Assessment (SGA), Nutrition risk screening-2002 (NRS), Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II and III.

Results:

In total, 150 (60.2%) patients had moderate (SGA B), while 71 (28.5%) patients had severe malnutrition (SGA C). The frequency of SGA C in the immigrants was significantly higher than Turkish ciitzens (p=0.004). The overall mortality rate in our study was 36.9%. No significant difference was found between Turkish citizens and immigrants in terms of overall mortality (p=0.592). Albumin value, APACHE II, APACHE III, CCI and NRS scores were significantly higher in those that died within 30 days. The APACHE 3 score was the most successful tool in predicting 30-day mortality according to ROC analyses.

Conclusion:

This study revealed that malnutrition is a significant problem for both immigrants and Turkish citizens hospitalized in the ICU. Although there are tools specific for malnutrition assessment, APACHE III score was found to have the highest likelihood to predict mortality.

Keywords: Malnutrition, immigrants, subjective global assessment, mortality