Comparison of the performance of different nutritional indicators for predicting poststroke depression in older adults with ischemic stroke

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the relationships between three different nutritional indicators and poststroke depression (PSD) and to analyze the performance of these nutritional indicators in predicting the occurrence of PSD in older adults with ischemic stroke to provide a reference for nurses to identify high-risk patients with PSD early, optimize stroke management, and improve patient prognosis.

Methods

This cohort study prospectively included 239 older adults with ischemic stroke in the Department of Neurology of a hospital in Shenzhen from September 2022 to May 2023. The nutritional status of the patients were evaluated by laboratory indicators, the Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form (MNA-SF), and the Geriatric Nutrition Risk Index (GNRI). The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Depression (HADS-D) was used to evaluate PSD. A self-designed questionnaire was used to collect demographic information and disease-related information. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to analyze factors related to PSD, and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was also used to compare the performance of these nutritional indicators.

Results

A total of 239 older adults with ischemic stroke were included; the mean age was 71.10 ± 7.41 years, and 66.5% (159/239) were males. The incidence of PSD was 32.6% (78/239). The incidence of PSD in the low-value group was significantly greater than that in the high-value group according to the different nutritional indices, and the difference was statistically significant (all P < 0.05). Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that the albumin (ALB) level (OR = 0.681; 95% CI, 0.508–0.913; P = 0.010), GNRI score (OR = 1.238; 95% CI, 1.034–1.483; P = 0.020), and MNA-SF score (OR = 0.708; 95% CI, 0.614–0.815; P < 0.001) were influencing factors for PSD in this population (P < 0.05). Combined with the ALB, GNRI, and MNA-SF, the area under the ROC curve for predicting the incidence of PSD in older adults with ischemic stroke was the largest and had a high degree of differentiation (AUC, 0.738; sensitivity, 75.6%; specificity, 60.9%).

Conclusion

The nutritional indices ALB, GNRI, and MNA-SF can be used as auxiliary tools to predict the risk of PSD in older adults with ischemic stroke malnutrition. Further validation by nurses in a more diverse patient population is needed to demonstrate the accuracy of the predictions.