7.1% Of Inpatient Hospital Stays For Adults & Children Involved Malnutrition

About 7.1% of all inpatient hospital stays during 2013 involved malnutrition, specifically undernutrition. Malnutrition was a primary or secondary diagnosis in about 1.95 million of the total 27.6 million non-maternal and non-neonatal inpatient hospital stays during 2013. That year, hospital stays involving one of six types of malnutrition accounted for nearly $42 billion, over 12% of the $346.1 billion aggregate hospital cost for non-maternal and non-neonatal stays in 2013.

Undernutrition can result from chronic starvation and conditions such as anorexia, but it also may be a consequence of acute and chronic illness . . .