Relationship between vitamin C deficiency and frailty in acutely hospitalized patients

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Vitamin C deficiency; Frailty; Diet and Nutrition - Other diet and nutrition disorders

• Registration Number: ACTRN12620000655943
• Lead Sponsor: Flinders Medical Centre

Brief Summary

Not available

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Results First Posted: 1900-01-01
• Study Start: 2020-06-05
• Study Completion: 2020-12-31
• Last Update Posted: 18 October 2021

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 160

Inclusion Criteria

A member of the research team will approach the participants and a written informed consent will be obtained from the participants. In case of cognitive impairment, the decision regarding participants’ capacity will be made from their mini mental state examination (MMSE) scores. For this study, we will only approach those patients > 75 yo referred by ED to General Medicnie acute admission with a score of 19 to 24 on the MMSE. An MMSE score of 19-24 indicates mild cognitive impairment, but given the low complexity of this project, patients would still be expected to have capacity and consent for themselves. Patients with MMSE below 19 will be excluded on the basis that they will be unable to provide informed consent for themselves. We will adhere to recommendations from Black et al (9) regarding assessment of verbal, behavioural, and emotional cues expressing comprehension and assent

Exclusion Criteria

Vitamin C treatment/supplementation
Palliative patients
Lack of valid consent
Reluctance to participate or hesitancy

Study & Design

• Study Type: Observational
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
We expect to determine the prevalence of vitamin C deficiency amongst frail elderly inpatients, assessed by morning serum measurement of vitamin C level[At the first encounter with an eligible consenting patient (once off)];To determine whether frail patients who are vitamin C deficient have longer length of stay in hospital [Single occasion in each participant- case notes follow up];Determine if frail patients with vitamin C deficiency have higher mortality[Single occasion- follow-up of case notes ]

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Determine if frail patients with vitamin C deficiency have more complications during admission[Once-off- review of case notes]