Malnutrition

Malnutrition can lead to and worsen acute and chronic medical conditions, especially among older adults. The consequences of malnutrition are serious: it increases the risks for complications; leads to longer hospital length of stay and hospital readmissions, leading to higher healthcare costs; and is associated with increased risk of mortality and morbidity. Malnutrition decreases quality of life, functional status, activities of daily living, wound healing, muscle mass and strength.^2-4

And, the economic burden of malnutrition is high: disease-associated malnutrition creates a $157 billion burden in the U.S. annually, considering direct medical costs, quality-adjusted life years lost, and mortality⁸; direct medical costs of disease-associated malnutrition total $15.5 billion annually in the U.S.³; the 30-day readmission rate is more than 50% higher, and the average cost per readmission is 26% higher for patients with malnutrition compared to patients without malnutrition.²

Nestlé Health Science offers a range of nutrition solutions to help improve health outcomes and quality of life for people with malnutrition and other related conditions.