Abbott launches a new malnutrition screening tool based on latest research existing frameworks

Abbott introduces a novel malnutrition diagnosis algorithm, aiming to enhance patient screening effectiveness after assessing the current diagnostic approach in a recent study. Collaborating with the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Illinois, US, the research, published in Frontiers in Nutrition, identifies four key changes in adult malnutrition diagnosis over the past two decades.

The study emphasizes incorporating muscle loss as a diagnostic indicator, recognizing its multifaceted role beyond structure. Muscle loss can occur independently of overall body weight.

Health organizations focus on developing diagnostic criteria, with increasing attention to measuring muscle mass and defining muscle loss.

Abbott's proposed algorithm integrates GLIM and WHO frameworks, considering micronutrient deficiencies, undernutrition, and diseases linked to overweight. This unified approach addresses limitations of certain criteria like BMI and accounts for micronutrient deficiencies. By providing a single methodology and terminology, the algorithm enables effective malnutrition management and systematic policymaking.