Are nutrition and muscle strength impaired in Alzheimer's patients at an early stage?

Aim: The aim of our study is to compare early and mid-stage Alzheimer's disease patients and patients without Alzheimer's disease in terms of nutrition, muscle strength and frailty.Materials and Methods: Our study is a cross-sectional study conducted in the outpatient clinic of a tertiary health centre between 1 April and 1 December 2024. Alzheimer's disease was diagnosed according to the National Institute on Aging-Alzheimer's Association Working Groups criteria. According to the minimal status examination, 20-24 were considered mild and 10-19 were considered moderate dementia patients. MNA-SF (Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form) test for malnutrition, Handgrip strength (HGS) for muscle strength, FRAIL questionnaire for frailty were applied.Results: There was no significant difference between Alzheimer's disease patients (n=32; 20 early stage- 12 middle stage) and control patients without Alzheimer's disease (n=32) in terms of age and gender (p=0.279, p=0.768). MNA-SF and muscle strength were significantly lower in the Alzheimer's group compared to the control group (p=0.009, p