ABSTRACT
Clinical surveys estimate that 15% of patients admitted to UK hospitals each year are malnourished (Figure 10.1) and 30-40% are undernourished. These patients have a longer hospital stay, a higher incidence of complications, including death, and a fourfold higher cost if a complication of their illness develops. Although undernutrition is usually the greatest concern, obesity-the malnutrition of affluence-also increases morbidity.
