"Is the Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form (MNA-SF) an Effective Tool for Malnutrition Screening in Parkinson's Disease?" - A Prospective Cross-Sectional Study

Background/Objectives: Malnutrition is a frequently observed and essential problem among patients with Parkinson's Disease (PD) that significantly affects their overall health and quality of life. The Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form (MNA-SF) is a standard tool for screening malnutrition in diverse clinical populations. However, the suitability of MNA-SF to detect nutritional deficiencies in PD patients requires a comprehensive evaluation. In this context, we determined the usefulness of MNA-SF as a tool to identify dietary problems in patients with PD. Methods: Demographic data, disease characteristics, and nutritional characteristics of 42 patients with PD were recorded. Patients were evaluated for malnutrition using clinical scoring. In addition, MNA-SF was applied to each patient, and the results were compared with clinical scores. Results: 22 of 42 patients (or 52.4%) were female, and the mean age of the patients was 59.33±10.19 years. In clinical malnutrition diagnoses, 76.2% of the participants were not malnourished, while the rate of malnourished patients was 23.8%. According to the MNA-SF assessment, 21.4% were malnourished, 38.1% were at risk of malnutrition, and 40.5% showed normal nutrition. The patients who were malnourished had a lower MNA-SF score when compared to the patients who were not malnourished (p =.004). The area under the curve (AUC) is 80.0 percent (CI: 62.1-97.9), effectively distinguishing those malnourished and those not (P=0.005). The sensitivity and specificity were 70.0% and 87.5%, respectively, using a threshold score below 8.5 (CI: 39.7-89.2) (CI: 71.9-95.0). Conclusions: The MNA-SF is a reliable and sufficient tool for identifying malnutrition in individuals with PD. city were 70.0% and 87.5%, respectively, using a threshold score below 8.5 (CI: 39.7-89.2) (CI: 71.9-95.0). Conclusions: The MNA-SF is a reliable and sufficient tool for identifying malnutrition in individuals with PD.