CORRELATIONS OF BODY MASS INDEX AND PLASMA ALBUMIN WITH

INFECTION IN GERIATRIC POPULATION

I Made Wisnu Wardhana1, R.A. Tuty Kuswardhani2
1
Department of Internal Medicine of Sanglah Hospital, Udayana University Denpasar
2
Department of Internal Medicine of Sanglah Hospital, Geriatric and gerontology
division, Udayana University Denpasar

Abstract
Background: Geriatric population more prone to infection. There still unclear about
the correlation of body mass index (BMI) and hypoalbuminemia in geriatric patient
as a risk factor for infectious disease. This research aimed to resolve this problem
by finding correlation between BMI and plasma albumin level with infection in
geriatric patient.
Methods: An analysis of 36 cases of geriatric patient was done in Sanglah general
hospital Denpasar.. Low and normal BMIs were defined as <18.5 kg/m2and ≥18.5
kg/m2, respectively. Hypoalbuminemia was defined as plasma albumin < 3.5 g/dL.
Correlations coefficient were calculated to compare between this groups.
Results: Among this 36 eligible geriatric patients, there is 20 patient with infection
ranging from urinary tract infection to pulmonary infection and 16 patient without
infection. 22 of this population are male, and 14 of them is female. There is 23
geriatric patient with hypoalbuminemia and 13 patient with normal plasma albumin
level, also 23 patient with normal BMI and 13 patients with low BMI. From analyses
we find that there is a correlation between BMI and infection with Lambda correlation
coefficient 0.43, we also find that hypoalbuminemia correlated with infection with
Lambda correlation coefficient 0.43, among that we also find that BMI correlated with
plasma albumin albumin level with Lambda Correlation coefficient 0.23.
Conclusion: Low BMI have moderate significant correlation with infection,
hypoalbuminemia also have moderate significant correlation with infection, also there
a weak correlation between BMI with plasma albumin level. Correcting these
problem may reduced the risk of infection.