Malnutrition deaths are soaring in the US - especially among seniors
The Independent••health
Key Points:
- Malnutrition-related deaths in the U.S. have increased sixfold over the past decade, becoming the fastest-growing cause of death, with seniors aged 85 and older disproportionately affected at rates 60 times higher than the general population.
- Rising malnutrition deaths among older adults may be linked to difficulties in accessing nutritious food due to fixed incomes and increasing living costs, although food insecurity alone does not fully explain the sharp increase.
- Experts suggest that improved diagnosis and documentation of malnutrition since around 2010, as well as hospitals’ incentives to identify it for patient outcome assessments, have contributed significantly to the reported rise in malnutrition deaths.
- Variability in who completes death certificates and greater access to electronic medical records may also lead to
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