Introduction
malnutrition
PATHOGENESIS, SYNDROME, CHRONIC DISEASE, MALNUTRITION
Disease-related malnutrition is a complex syndrome resulting from different mechanisms including inadequate intake of food and starvation, acute and chronic disease including polypharmacy, disease-related inflammatory mechanisms and compromised assimilation of nutrients, as well as immobility, advanced ageing and social isolation [With its catabolic activities, cortisol may thus play a critical role in the pathogenesis of malnutrition in the acutely-ill medical patient [