@article {Opio123, author = {Martin Otyek Opio and Teopista Namujwiga and Imaculate Nakitende and John Kellett and Mikkel Brabrand}, title = {The prediction of in-hospital mortality by mid-upper arm circumference: a prospective observational study of the association between mid-upper arm circumference and the outcome of acutely ill medical patients admitted to a resource-poor hospital in sub-S{\textellipsis}}, volume = {18}, number = {2}, pages = {123--127}, year = {2018}, doi = {10.7861/clinmedicine.18-2-123}, publisher = {Royal College of Physicians}, abstract = {There are few reports of the association of nutritional status with in-hospital mortality of acutely ill medical patients in sub-Saharan Africa. This is a prospective observational study comparing the predictive value of mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) of 899 acutely ill medical patients admitted to a resource-poor sub-Saharan hospital with mental alertness, mobility and vital signs. Mid-upper arm circumference ranged from 15 cm to 42 cm, and 12 (24\%) of the 50 patients with a MUAC less than 20 cm died (OR 4.84, 95\% CI 2.23{\textendash}10.37). Of the 237 patients with a MUAC more than 28 cm only six (2.5\%) died (OR 0.27, 95\% CI 0.10{\textendash}0.67). On logistic regression, the National Early Warning Score (NEWS), alertness, mobility and MUAC were independent predictors of in-hospital mortality. Mid-upper arm circumference is an independent predictor of the in-hospital mortality of acutely ill medical patients in a resource-poor hospital in sub-Saharan Africa.}, issn = {1470-2118}, URL = {https://www.rcpjournals.org/content/18/2/123}, eprint = {https://www.rcpjournals.org/content/18/2/123.full.pdf}, journal = {Clinical Medicine} }