_____________________________________________________________________________________________________ *Corresponding author: Email: ekechiamadi@yahoo.com; European Journal of Nutrition & Food Safety 14(10): 15-22, 2022; Article no.EJNFS.90843 ISSN: 2347-5641 Body Mass Index (BMI) and Cutaneous Lesions among the Elderly Patients in a Tertiary Hospital in Rivers State E. F. Pepple a , E. S. Amadi b,c* , B. Otike-Odibi b and H. I .Bell-Gam d a Department of Community Medicine, Rivers State University, Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Rivers State, Nigeria. b Dermatology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Rivers State University, Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Rivers State, Nigeria. c University of South Wales, Pontypridd, UK. d Geriatrics Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Rivers State University, Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Rivers State, Nigeria. Authors’ contributions This work was carried out in collaboration among all authors. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Article Information DOI: 10.9734/EJNFS/2022/v14i1030535 Open Peer Review History: This journal follows the Advanced Open Peer Review policy. Identity of the Reviewers, Editor(s) and additional Reviewers, peer review comments, different versions of the manuscript, comments of the editors, etc are available here: https://www.sdiarticle5.com/review-history/90843 Received 16 June 2022 Accepted 21 August 2022 Published 30 August 2022 ABSTRACT Aims: The aim of the study is to highlight that cutaneous lesion can be markers of nutritional status in the elderly. Study Design: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study. Place and Duration of Study: This study took place within the wards of University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital over a 3 month period. Methodology: A sample of 126 elderly patients were calculated as the sample size to be assessed for cutaneous lesions, of which 122 were fit enough to have their BMI assessed using standardized protocol of measuring height and weight. The BMI was calculated using the formula - BMI = kg/m 2 . Results: Out of the total, 55 of them representing 45.1% had normal BMI, 13 representing 10.7% were underweight, 33 (27%) over weight and 21(17.2%) obese. Underweight elderly patients were more likely than those with normal weight to have xerosis, itching, wrinkles, idiopathic guttate Original Research Article