Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=40078http://www.bsg.org.uk

Hundreds of thousands of patients admitted to NHS hospitals lose weight when they enter hospital, slowing down recovery, increasing the risk of infections and complications, and increasing the risk that they will die from their condition, the Annual Scientific Meeting of the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) was told today.

Dr Barry Jones, Chairman of the BSG's Nutrition Committee, and a consultant Gastroenterologist at Russells Hall Hospital in the West Midlands said: "Two thirds of patients admitted to an NHS hospital lose weight during their hospital stay. If they are already malnourished, three quarters will lose weight. We are talking about tens or hundreds of thousands of patients. Many ill patients admitted to hospital are malnourished and need careful nutritional support. At its simplest, this may be encouraging patients to eat more but all too often an artificial tube has to be given."

He called on doctors and nurses to