Abstract

There are few data on the longitudinal association of cytokine and appetite among older hospitalized patients. We aimed to investigate the impact of the changes of inflammatory cytokines on appetite in older hospitalized patients. A total of 191 patients (mean age 81.3 ± 6.6 years, 64% women) participated in this prospective longitudinal observational study. Appetite was evaluated using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System on admission and after seven days. Serum cytokines such as IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-17, IL-18, IL-23 and IL-33, IFN-α2, IFN-γ, TNF-α and MCP-1 were measured both times. No significant differences in the mean serum levels of all the cytokines could be detected overtime in relation to appetite changes, except for IL-18. Appetite significantly deteriorated overtime in patients with increasing IL-18 levels and improved in those without significant changes in IL-18 levels. In a stepwise regression analysis, changes of IL-18 levels were the major independent predictor for the changes of patients' appetite and explained 4% of the variance, whereas other cytokines and variables, such as age, sex, infection and disease, did not show any impact on appetite changes. We conclude that IL-18 seems to exert a significant impact on appetite in acutely ill older hospitalized patients and should, therefore, be considered as a potential target in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of malnutrition.

MeSH

Cytokines, Food, Appetite

Cited by

• Influence of Oxidative Stress and Inflammation on Nutritional Status and Neural Plasticity: New Perspectives on Post-Stroke Neurorehabilitative Outcome. Nutrients, 2023
• Associations of Naples prognostic score with stroke in adults and all cause mortality among stroke patients. Sci Rep, 2025
• Consequences of Anorexia of Aging in Hospital Settings: An Updated Review. Clin Interv Aging, 2024
• Malnutrition and Erythropoietin Resistance among Patients with End-Stage Kidney Disease: Where Is the Perpetrator of Disaster? Nutrients, 2022