A recent article published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition stated that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has perplexed the healthcare system organizationsin the management of a dramatically increasing number of patients over a short period of time. 

The authors stated that during the acute phase of COVID-19 pneumonia, patients may need noninvasive ventilation, CPAP or NIV, or endotracheal intubation.After the acute phase, specific rehabilitation may be necessary to achieve respiratory improvement, functional and cognitive recovery, to decrease disability, and to improve the quality of life. 

Here, it was suggested that nutritional support and swallowing training are pivotal for the functional recovery of critical patients with COVID-19. Adequate nutritional status allows for better resilience in the presence of pathological conditions, such as in the case of COVID-19 infection. Based upon the Malnutrition Universal Screen Tool (MUST), a high risk of malnutrition—in 45% of the patients, has been depicted. Whereas, 26% of patients have shown a moderate risk.

It was concluded that the implementation of a systematic management of the nutritional intake of COVID-19 patients is essential to guarantee an optimal nutritional status and to improve clinical outcomes. 

Source: European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.74;860–863 (2020).https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-020-0664-x