Malnutrition affects 2.9 million people in the UK, Hertfordshire health advisor says
A total of 2.9 million people are suffering from malnutrition in the UK.
A report from the Future Health Research Centre found half a million people being admitted to hospital for disease-related malnutrition each year, and affecting 2.9 million people in the UK.
According to the research, it represents 50 admissions to hospital every hour, increasing pressures on an already strained NHS.
"...if they could get the diagnosis they would be able to get the treatment."
Richard Sloggett, Future Health Programme Directors, from Hertfordshire, said: "At a cost of £22.6 billion a year, there are something like 464,000 admissions to hospital for people with either primary or secondary diagnosis of malnutrition."
Added to the cost is the worry figures may continue to spiral if measures are not put into place to support those in need.
Currently, only 2% of people admitted to hospital with malnutrition are receiving a direct diagnosis.
"The issue is when someone does present to a healthcare professional, whether it is a GP, a hospital, in social care or a care home, they're just not getting a diagnosis, and if they could get the diagnosis they would be able to get the treatment", added Mr Sloggett.
The research carried out relates to condition-based malnutrition, which can be caused by a range of illnesses such as cancer, respiratory diseases or strokes.
""They're losing weight and then becoming malnourished, and that affects their response to treatment..."
Mr Sloggett said: "One of the side effects that you find is people often lose their appetite or are unable to eat as easily."
"They're losing weight and then becoming malnourished, and that affects their response to treatment, for example with cancer care, people's response to chemotherapy is better if they are at a certain weight."
According to Mr Sloggett, the main solution would be to implement a tracking system to enable earlier diagnosis, which would in turn ease pressures on the NHS.
He said: "In an ideal situation what you would want to is to screen patients."
"You could use new digital tools to get people and their carers to submit more regular weight updates to their healthcare professionals so you can track someone's weight, then you can refer someone into a system a bit more quickly."