Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol 13, Issue 2 184-191, Copyright © 1994 by American College of Nutrition

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Insulin-like growth factor I as an indicator of protein-energy undernutrition among metabolically stable hospitalized elderly

D. H. Sullivan and W. J. Carter
Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital, Little Rock, AR 72205.

OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this cross-sectional study was to test the hypothesis that the plasma concentration of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) correlates with the risk of in-hospital morbidity among metabolically stable elderly. The secondary objective was to determine whether IGF-I correlates with other putative indicators of protein-energy nutritional status. SUBJECTS: To meet these objectives, 110 randomly selected admissions to a Geriatric Rehabilitation Unit (GRU) of a Veterans Administration hospital were studied. The average age of the study patients was 76 years; 98% were male, and 78% were white. OUTCOME MEASURES: At admission, each patient completed a comprehensive medical, functional, neuropsychological, and nutritional assessment including the attainment of a plasma IGF-I determination. While in the hospital, each subject was monitored daily for development of complications. RESULTS: Subsequent to GRU admission, 44 patients (40%) experienced at least one complication; 36 patients (33%) experienced an infectious complication, 8 patients (7%) experienced a life-threatening complication, and 5 patients (5%) experienced a life-threatening infectious complication. There was no correlation between IGF-I and development of a non-life-threatening complication ("any complication" or "any infectious complication"). However, IGF-I was a strong predictor of "life-threatening" and "life-threatening infectious" complications. The logistic regression model incorporating the independent variable IGF-I differentiated the patients who would develop a "life-threatening" complication from those who would not with a sensitivity of 75%, a specificity of 76%, and an overall predictive accuracy of 76%. IGF-I was highly correlated with admission serum albumin, transferrin, and cholesterol, triceps skinfold thickness, body weight expressed as a percent of ideal, and body mass index. There was no correlation between IGF-I and the Katz Index of Activities of Daily Living score, age, or anergy status. CONCLUSION: IGF-I is a strong predictor of "life-threatening" and "life-threatening infectious" complications and may be a clinically useful marker for protein-energy undernutrition among metabolically stable hospitalized elderly patients.

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