Keywords
Malnutrition
Dysphagia
Nutrition
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Abstract
Objective: To review the literature on nutritional management in patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), with emphasis on strategies to prevent and treat malnutrition, as well as to discuss its relationship with patient survival. Literature review: Findings indicate that malnutrition in patients with ALS is multifactorial, being mainly associated with dysphagia, hypermetabolism, and reduced food intake. These factors interact with each other, resulting in negative energy balance, progressive weight loss, and worsening nutritional status. Strategies such as hypercaloric diets, food texture modification, and enteral nutrition are essential to ensure adequate intake and feeding safety. Final considerations: ALS significantly compromises patients’ quality of life, with malnutrition and dysphagia being the most prevalent complications. Early nutritional intervention, combined with multidisciplinary follow-up, is essential to improve prognosis and promote well-being. Furthermore, there is a need for more standardized guidelines to optimize the nutritional management of these patients.
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