INTRODUCTION:

Older people in nursing homes have a high prevalence of undernutrition, frailty and sarcopenia conditions that may have negative implications for the current COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVES:

Proceeding a scope review to mapping the evidence of undernutrition, frailty and sarcopenia as a prognosis factor of COVID-19 in institutionalized older people.

METHODOLOGY:

Analysis of the literature published between May and September 2020 in the Pubmed electronic database, using the terms "covid 19", "nursing homes", "malnutrition", "frailty" and "sarcopenia", following the PRISMA-ScR recommendations.

RESULTS:

Of the 14 studies selected, 3 analyzed the prognosis of COVID-19 in nursing homes, 2 investigated the progression of COVID-19 in undernutrition older people and 9 with frailty. Literature review suggests staff as an important vector in transmission and propagation of coronavirus in institutionalized older people and high mortality seems to be related to disease complications. Older people at nutritional risk present worse clinical outcomes while frailty is associated with other causes of death not related to COVID-19 complications. Implications of sarcopenia in the evolution of COVID-19 are unknown.

CONCLUSIONS:

Current evidence is insufficient to establish an association between undernutrition, frailty and sarcopenia and

prognosis of new coronavirus infection in institutionalized older people. However, recent pandemic reinforced the vulnerability of this population and the need for a nutritional assessment and intervention in geriatric care. More research is needed to link nutrition and COVID-19 in nursing homes.

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