v r s t t b o t l F K m a g n Most of the literature on malnutrition has focused on its linical or health consequences. Little attention has been aid to its economic consequences. One reason for this is hat it is difficult to establish a monetary value for the hysical and psychological manifestations of malnutrition, specially because these are affected by age, severity of alnutrition, and severity and type of underlying disease. ecause malnutrition often coexists with disease and beause each can be a cause and a consequence of the other, t is difficult to separate the two [1]. Therefore, it is reasonble to consider the cost of malnutrition and associated isease together (disease-related malnutrition). However, ith the increasing emphasis on health economics by govrnments and health services, the British Association for arenteral and Enteral Nutrition (BAPEN) formed an ad hoc ealth economic working group, with the aim of establishng, for the first time, the cost of malnutrition in the United ingdom. The group has undertaken a cost analysis to ssess the economic effect of oral nutritional supplements ONSs) in hospitals and the community and has recently ublished its findings in a special report entitled The Cost of isease-Related Malnutrition in the UK and Economic onsiderations for the Use of Oral Nutritional Supplements ONS) in Adults [2]. One way to assess the cost of disease-related malnutriion is to examine the extent to which patients who have it se services, such as visits to a general practitioner (GP) and dmissions to the hospital or long-term residential facilities. o do this, it is first necessary to establish the prevalence of alnutrition in hospitals and the community and the rate of tilization of these services, which have specific costs asigned to them. In the United Kingdom, these are approxiately £54 for a typical GP visit; about £100 for an outpaient visit, although this depends on the speciality and hether it is a first or subsequent visit; about £260 for a