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GLIM Criteria

International consensus framework for diagnosing malnutrition using one phenotypic plus one etiologic criterion.

Also: GLIM, Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition

Diagnosis requires (1) a positive nutrition screen, (2) at least one phenotypic criterion (unintentional weight loss, low BMI, or reduced muscle mass), and (3) at least one etiologic criterion (reduced food intake/assimilation, or inflammation/disease burden). Severity is graded as moderate or severe. GLIM harmonizes ASPEN/Academy, ESPEN, and other regional malnutrition criteria into a single global standard.

How each textbook covers it

  • Krause and Mahan's Food and the Nutrition Care Process, 16th ed. — Chapter 39

    Diagnosis requires (1) a positive nutrition screen, (2) at least one phenotypic criterion (unintentional weight loss, low BMI, or reduced muscle mass), and (3) at least one etiologic criterion (reduced food intake/assimilation, or inflammation/disease burden). Severity is graded as moderate or severe. GLIM harmonizes ASPEN/Academy, ESPEN, and other regional malnutrition criteria into a single global standard.

  • Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease, 12th ed. — Ch 90: Malnutrition in Disease and Inflammatory States

    Published in 2018-2019 and adopted in MNHD Ch 90 (Jensen & Gramlich), GLIM is intended to replace legacy serum albumin-based malnutrition diagnosis with a structured phenotypic-plus-etiologic schema. Severity is graded by degree of weight loss, BMI, or muscle mass reduction. GLIM standardizes diagnosis across ICU, oncology, and ambulatory settings and aligns with ICD coding.

Related terms

Cachexia, Inflammation, Malnutrition, Sarcopenia, Subjective Global Assessment