SERUM-ALBUMIN AND PREALBUMIN AS PREDICTORS OF CLINICAL OUTCOMES OF HOSPITALIZED ELDERLY NURSING-HOME RESIDENTS

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of hypoalbuminemia and hypopr ealbuminemia in hospitalized, elderly, skilled nursing facility reside nts and to correlate these findings with clinical outcomes. Design: Pr ospective cohort study. Setting: A 300-bed community hospital. Partici pants: Eighty-one hospitalized, skilled nursing facility patients, ave rage age 83.1 years. Interventions: None. Outcome Measures: Serum albu min and prealbumin (transthyretin) were measured at admission, mid-wee k, 1 week, and 1 month. Patients were followed for 90 days for the out comes of length of hospitalization and mortality. Results: The prevale nce of hypoalbuminemia was 99% and of hypoprealbuminemia, 79%. Both me ans dropped significantly from admission to midweek nadirs of 25 g/L f or albumin and 14 mg/L for prealbumin. Severe hypoalbuminemia at mid-w eek predicted mortality (RR = 4.1 95%, CI 2.0-8.5) and extended length of hospitalization (RR = 5.2 95%, CI 2.8-9.8). Severe hypoprealbumine mia predicted extended hospitalization (RR = 3.2, CI 1.5-6.7) but not mortality. Conclusions: Hypoalbuminemia and hypoprealbuminemia are ver y common in this clinical setting and vary in parallel fashion over ti me. Severe hypoalbuminemia was a stronger predictor than hypoprealbumi nemia of 90-day mortality and extended length of stay. Serum albumin o n admission was not as strong a predictor of outcomes as serum albumin at mid-week.