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Table 1 Characteristics of subjects with severe dementia in AHF and NGF

From: Nasogastric tube feeding versus assisted hand feeding in-home healthcare older adults with severe dementia in Taiwan: a prognosis comparison

 

Total

AHF

NGF

p

Numbers no. (%)

169

39 (23)

130 (77)

 

Sex (Male) no. (%)

56 (33)

10 (26)

46 (35)

0.257

Age (years, mean ± SD)

85.9 ± 7.5

86.7 ± 6.8

85.7 ± 7.7

0.458

Barthel index (< 10) no. (%)

129 (76)

21 (54)

108 (83)

<.001

Caregiver no. (%)

95 (56)

19 (49)

76 (59)

0.282

Diagnosis

 Alzheimer’s disease no. (%)

24 (14)

3 (8)

21 (16)

 

 Vascular dementia no. (%)

32 (19)

9 (23)

23 (18)

 

 Others no. (%)

113 (67)

27 (69)

86 (66)

 

Pressure sores no. (%)

27 (16)

6 (15)

21 (16)

0.908

BMI (kg/m2, mean ± SD)

21.7 ± 3.6

22.7 ± 3.3

21.4 ± 3.6

0.042

MNA-SF (mean ± SD)

9.3 ± 2.7

9.9 ± 2.5

9.1 ± 2.7

0.103

Norton scale (mean ± SD)

10.1 ± 2.1

10.7 ± 3.1

10.0 ± 1.6

0.161

Serum albumin (g/dL, mean ± SD)

3.8 ± 0.6

4.0 ± 0.6

3.7 ± 0.6

0.045

Hb (g/dL, mean ± SD)

11.0 ± 1.7

11.0 ± 1.9

11.0 ± 1.6

0.942

WBC (103/μL, mean ± SD)

10.4 ± 3.9

9.8 ± 3.1

10.6 ± 4.0

0.296

  1. Abbreviations: AHF assisted hand feeding, NGF nasogastric tube feeding, MNA-SF Mini Nutritional Assessment–Short Form, BMI Body Mass Index
  2. p < 0.05 for significant difference