Objective
To assess the nutritional status of Korean patients with spinal cord injury (SCI), identify the predictors of undernutrition, and investigate the relationship between undernutrition and clinical outcomes.
Methods
A retrospective study design was used to determine the nutritional status of 130 patients over 19 years old admitted to the rehabilitation hospital of Yonsei University Health System between June 2015 and February 2017. The nutritional status was assessed using the malnutrition universal screening tool (MUST) and the spinal nutrition screening tool (SNST). The relationship between undernutrition and clinical outcomes was examined by comparing a low-risk group with an at-risk group using a t-test.
Results
Among the SCI patients, 70 (50.8%) were confirmed with undernutrition based on the MUST scores, while 60 (46.2%) had undernutrition based on the SNST scores. It was found that undernutrition has an effect on functional outcomes.
Conclusion
We assessed the undernutrition risk in Korean SCI patients, and found that approximately 50% of the patients were at risk of undernutrition. We also found that undernutrition can affect functional recovery.

Citations

• Multifaceted Pathophysiology and Secondary Complications of Chronic Spinal Cord Injury: Focus on Pressure Injury
  Mario Martínez-Torija, Pedro F. Esteban, Angela Santos-De-La-Mata, Matilde Castillo-Hermoso, Eduardo Molina-Holgado, Rafael Moreno-Luna
  Journal of Clinical Medicine.2025; 14(5): 1556.     CrossRef
• Nutritional alterations, adverse consequences, and comprehensive assessment in spinal cord injury: a review
  Zehui Li, Xiaoxin Wang, Yan Yu, Yingli Jing, Huayong Du, Wubo Liu, Chunjia Zhang, Zuliyaer Talifu, Xin Xu, Yunzhu Pan, Jianjun Li
  Frontiers in Nutrition.2025;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Strategies to mitigate muscle mass loss in individuals with spinal cord injury
  Astrid M.H. Horstman, Janneke M. Stolwijk-Swüste, Luc J.C. van Loon, Sonja de Groot
  The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine.2025; : 1.     CrossRef
• Priority setting for nutrition research in individuals with spinal cord injury: A protocol for Delphi study among health professionals
  Marija Glisic, Shashivadan P. Hirani, Hanne Bjørg Slettahjell, Willemijn Faber, Yannis Dionyssiotis, Alastair Forbes, Anthony Twist, Emil Moga, Jackie McRae, Firas Sarhan, Sharon Leigh, Samford Wong, Nicola Diviani
  PLOS One.2025; 20(7): e0327612.     CrossRef
• Foodservice Models and Nutrition Practices in Spinal Facilities: Insights and Opportunities for Improvement From a Pilot Multinational Survey
  Isabella B. Morgan, Yilin Wang, Murray Fisher, Peter F. Collins, Priya Iyer
  Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics.2025;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Defining malnutrition in persons with spinal cord injury – does the Global Criteria for Malnutrition work?
  Hanne Bjørg Slettahjell, Maria Bastakis, Fin Biering-Sørensen, Vegard Strøm, Christine Henriksen
  Food & Nutrition Research.2024;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Significance of physical factors on activities of daily living in patients with tetraplegia after spinal cord injury: a retrospective study
  Kimin Yun, Jin-cheol Lim, Onyoo Kim
  BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation.2024;[Epub]     CrossRef
• The risk of malnutrition in patients with spinal cord injury during inpatient rehabilitation–A longitudinal cohort study
  Irene Flury, Gabi Mueller, Claudio Perret
  Frontiers in Nutrition.2023;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Predictive validity of the Mini Nutritional Assessment Short‐Form for rehabilitation patients: A retrospective analysis of the Japan Rehabilitation Nutrition Database
  Shinta Nishioka, Hidetaka Wakabayashi, Jun Kayashita, Yutaka Taketani, Ryo Momosaki
  Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics.2021; 34(5): 881.     CrossRef