Malnutrition in Neurological Diseases

Abstract

Nutritional issues are highly common during the course of neurological diseases, potentiated by the eating and swallowing disturbances accompanying the clinical picture. Stroke, acute and chronic neuromuscular diseases, and chronic neurodegenerative diseases are the most common neurologic disorders linked to swallowing problems and malnutrition. Malnutrition, if present, increases the morbidity, length of hospitalization, and mortality over the course of these diseases. Dysphagia is a direct risk factor for aspiration and dehydration, together with the insufficiency to meet daily energy and protein requirements. Inadequate recognition of neurogenic oropharyngeal dysphagia predisposes to development of sarcopenia and intestinal bacterial translocation. Neurologists should be aware of the risk of malnutrition and dysphagia and make it a common practice to evaluate patients in these aspects. © Springer International Publishing AG 2017.