Yue Chen1, Lufang Chen2, Yiqing Tao2, Maomao Han1, Chunlan Cui1, Shichao Liu1

1Department of Geriatrics, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang Province, China
2College of Medicine, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310018, Zhejiang Province, China

Abstract
Complicated pulmonary infection following stroke has traditionally been considered an aspirated infection by many physicians, and little attention has been paid to concomitant protein-energy malnutrition. In the present study, we hypothesized that protein-energy malnutrition may be present in hospitalized chronic stroke patients complicated with pulmonary infection. The results revealed that body protein and fat stores were significantly depleted in stroke patients with pulmonary infection. Protein-energy malnutrition was present in 12 of 27 patients with pulmonary infection. In comparison, only eight of 42 stroke patients without pulmonary infection exhibited protein-energy malnutrition. A significantly higher prevalence of protein-energy malnutrition was found in the pulmonary infection group, suggesting that protein-energy malnutrition is more likely to be present in hospitalized chronic stroke patients with pulmonary infection.
Key Words: nutritional status; protein-energy malnutrition; stroke; pulmonary infection

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