ArticleClinical nutrition ESPEN2021
Poor nutritional status, risk of sarcopenia and nutrition related complaints are prevalent in COVID-19 patients during and after hospital admission.
Article in Clinical nutrition ESPEN, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 58 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
58 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 107 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prevalence and prognosis of sarcopenia in acute COVID-19 and long COVID: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Annals of medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Taste loss as a distinct symptom of COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Chemical senses · 2023Pooled it
- Risk of Malnutrition in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Nutrients · 2022Pooled it
- Prevalence of Sarcopenia in Patients With COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in nutrition · 2022Pooled it
- Efficacy of heat-treated Lacticaseibacillus paracasei PS23 for individuals with long coronavirus disease-19 syndrome: a double-blinded randomized control pilot study.Scientific reports · 2026Trial
- Treatment of COVID-19 olfactory dysfunction with olfactory training, palmitoylethanolamide with luteolin, or combined therapy: a blinded controlled multicenter randomized trial.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2023Trial
- Nutrition-Related Parameters and Imaging Severity of COVID-19 in Hospitalized Adults: A Secondary Analysis of a Prospective Multicenter Cohort.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Does COVID-19 infection change appetite and dietary habits?Medicine · 2026Article
- Increased physical performance after personalised physiotherapy and nutritional counselling in adults with post-COVID-19 condition: a feasibility randomised trial.Communications medicine · 2026Article
- Observational
- Physical activity during COVID-19 pandemic: A 5-year retrospect.Sports medicine and health science · 2025Review
- Article
- Progress in research on osteoporosis secondary to SARS-CoV-2 infection.Animal models and experimental medicine · 2025Review
- Risk of poor nutritional status and nutrition-related complaints in individuals attending a primary care dietitian after a COVID-19 infection: A prospective cohort study.Nutrition & dietetics : the journal of the Dietitians Association of Australia · 2025Observational
- A retrospective cohort study on the association between nutritional status and prognosis in COVID-19 patients with severe and critical infection.The Journal of international medical research · 2024Article
- Metabolic Profiles of Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients: A Comparative Analysis of Energy Expenditure.Cureus · 2024Article
- The Link between Inflammation, Lipid Derivatives, and Microbiota Metabolites in COVID-19 Patients: Implications on Eating Behaviors and Nutritional Status.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- Nutritional and Inflammatory Markers Associated with SARS-CoV-2 Infection in the Elderly.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Article
- Muscle Dysfunction and Functional Status in COVID-19 Patients during Illness and after Hospital Discharge.Biomedicines · 2024Article
- SARS-CoV-2 and its Multifaceted Impact on Bone Health: Mechanisms and Clinical Evidence.Current osteoporosis reports · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsPatients with COVID-19 infection presents with a broad clinical spectrum of symptoms and complications. As a consequence nutritional requirements are not met, resulting in weight- and muscle loss, and malnutrition. The aim of the present study is to delineate nutritional complaints, the (course of the) nutritional status and risk of sarcopenia of COVID-19 patients, during hospitalisation and after discharge.
methodsIn this prospective observational study in 407 hospital admitted COVID-19 patients in four university and peripheral hospitals, data were collected during dietetic consultations. Presence of nutrition related complaints (decreased appetite, loss of smell, changed taste, loss of taste, chewing and swallowing problems, nausea, vomiting, feeling of being full, stool frequency and consistency, gastric retention, need for help with food intake due to weakness and shortness of breath and nutritional status (weight loss, BMI, risk of sarcopenia with SARC-F ≥4 points) before, during hospital stay and after discharge were, where possible, collected.
resultsIncluded patients were most men (69%), median age of 64.8 ± 12.4 years, 60% were admitted to ICU at any time point during hospitalisation with a median LOS of 15 days and an in-hospital mortality rate of 21%. The most commonly reported complaints were: decreased appetite (58%), feeling of being full (49%) and shortness of breath (43%). One in three patients experienced changed taste, loss of taste and/or loss of smell. Prior to hospital admission, 67% of the patients was overweight (BMI >25 kg/m
conclusionIn conclusion, one in five hospital admitted COVID-19 patients suffered from serious acute weight loss and 73% had a high risk of sarcopenia. Moreover, almost all patients had one or more nutritional complaints. Of these complaints, decreased appetite, feeling of being full, shortness of breath and changed taste and loss of taste were the most predominant nutrition related complaints. These symptoms have serious repercussions on nutritional status. Although nutritional complaints persisted a long time after discharge, only a small group of patients received dietetic treatment after hospital discharge in recovery phase. Clinicians should consider the risks of acute malnutrition and sarcopenia in COVID-19 patients and investigate multidisciplinary treatment including dietetics during hospital stay and after discharge.
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