Mediterranean Diet, In-Hospital Exercise, and the Incidence of Hospital-Acquired Disability in Old Patients

Hospital-acquired disability (HAD) refers to the loss of capacity to perform one or more activities of daily living following hospitalization. This condition is highly insidious and results from the combined effects of the acute illness and hospitalization (e.g., prolonged bedrest, adverse effects of medications, nosocomial infections). Old patients who developed HAD can rarely take care of themselves at discharge and most of them experience persistent disability. Indeed, old patients with HAD show a three-fold greater risk of nursing-home admission than those with no in-hospital deterioration of functional status. This scenario is concerning, given that the prevalence of HAD in advanced age is approximately 30%.