Identification of Malnutrition upon Hospital Admission Using the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition Criteria

Background: Criteria for the diagnosis of malnutrition are still not uniform, and different tools have been proposed. Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) is a newly developed consensus diagnostic criteria tool. Objective: This study aims to determine the prevalence of malnutrition using the GLIM diagnostic criteria upon admission to the hospital in the United Arab Emirates and evaluate the role muscle strength can play in the accuracy of this diagnosis. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that was carried out in two hospitals (Rashid Hospital, Dubai, and Qassimi Hospital, Sharjah) in the United Arab Emirates. Low body mass index or significant weight loss were used as phenotypic criteria; reduced food intake or the presence of disease were used as etiological criteria. Muscle strength was measured using a handgrip strength dynamometer as a supportive measure. Results: A total of 371 patients were recruited, of which a total of 103 patients (27.76%) were diagnosed with malnutrition according to GLIM. The prevalence of low muscle strength was seen in 60.47% of females (≤ 16.0 kg) and 61.82% males (≤ 27 kg). A total of 209 patients (58.22%) were diagnosed with malnutrition, accounting for low muscle strength as a proxy for muscle mass under the phenotypic criteria. Conclusion: The study opens a direction for future research to evaluate the feasibility and practicality of the proposed GLIM criteria. It also opens a path for the validation of muscle strength and relevant cut-off points across ages, genders, and ethnicities as a diagnostic criterion for malnutrition.