Chapter 6 Nutrition Assessment of Older Adults

TABLE 6.8 cont. Nutrition-Focused Physical Findings of Malnutrition Signs

Tongue Sores, swollen, scarlet, raw, “beef tongue” Smooth, beefy red tongue

Soreness, burning tongue, purplish/magenta color Smooth with papillae (small projections)

Glossitis

Taste Sense of taste diminished

Teeth Gray-brown spots; mottling; Missing or erupting abnormally Face

Skin color loss, dark cheeks and eyes; enlarged parotid glands, scaling of skin around nostrils

Pallor Hyperpigmentation

Nails Brittle, banding

Koilonychia (spoon-shaped; concave) Onychorrhexia (central line ridges)

Skin Slow wound healing, pressure ulcers Psoriasis

Eczema; lesions

Scaling of the scalp, dandruff, oiliness of the scalp, lips and nose

Petechiae (purple or red pinpoint hemorrhages in the skin) Dryness, mosaic, sandpaper feel, flakiness Follicular hyperkeratosis (goose flesh) Dark, dry, scaly skin

99

Possible Nutrition-Related Causes Folate, niacin deficiency

Vitamin B-12, niacin deficiency Riboflavin deficiency

Riboflavin, vitamin B-12, pyridoxine, niacin, folate, protein, iron deficiency

Riboflavin, iron, zinc, pyridoxine deficiency Zinc deficiency

Increased fluoride intake General poor nutrition

Protein-energy deficiency; specifically niacin, riboflavin and pyridoxine deficiencies

Iron, folate, vitamin B-12, and vitamin C deficiencies Niacin deficiency

Protein deficiency

Iron deficiency, protein deficiency Folate, iron deficiencies, malnutrition

Zinc, vitamin C, protein deficiency; malnutrition Biotin deficiency

Riboflavin, zinc deficiency

Biotin deficiency, pyridoxine, zinc, riboflavin, essential fatty acids deficiency; vitamin A excess or deficiency

Vitamin C

Increased or decreased vitamin A Vitamin A deficiency Niacin deficiency