F086 Individualized nutritional intervention to prevent weight loss in Huntington’s disease (HD) patients during hospitalization

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Background Weight loss (WL) is prevalent in HD, particularly exacerbated by neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS), like aggression and agitation, and dysphagia in moderate to advanced stages. Objective To assess the effectiveness of personalized nutritional interventions in preventing WL in HD patients during hospitalization. Methods Hospitalized HD patients received a comprehensive nutritional assessment within the first week of admission, including BMI, Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), caregiver-reported recent WL, and evaluations using Determine, Dysphagia, and Barthel scales. Based on the assessment, a nutritional alert is triggered and a hypercaloric diet specifically tailored for HD is administered. Nutritional supplements were provided as needed. The goal was to prevent WL exceeding 5% of the patient‘s initial weight during their hospital stay. Results Over 12 years, 130 interventions were analyzed (72 males, 58 females; mean age 49.4 ± 9.89 years; mean admission duration 84.6 ± 77.74 days). Most patients (83.31%) were in moderate/advanced stages (TFC III, IV, V). Nutritional assessments showed a mean BMI of 22.94 ± 4.71 and a total MNA mean of 16.16 ± 5.35. Dysphagia was present in 48.11% of patients, and 40.57% reported WL before admission. Nutritional alerts triggered in 77 patients led to hypercaloric diets, with 31 (40.25%) receiving supplements. The mean weight change was +2.29 kg (±5.24), and 94.62% of patients maintained WL within 5% of their initial weight. Conclusions Malnutrition is a critical issue in HD, especially with concurrent NPS or dysphagia. Our individualized nutritional program effectively prevents WL during hospitalization, enhancing the quality of life and well-being of HD patients.

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