Nutritional status of maintenance dialysis patients: Low lean body mass index and obesity are common, protein-energy wasting is uncommon

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

  • Mette Juul Koefoed
  • Charles Boy Kromann
  • Sophie Ryberg Juliussen
  • Danni Hvidtfeldt
  • B. Ekelund
  • Niels Erik Frandsen
  • Marckmann, Peter

Background and Aims Maintenance dialysis patients are at increased risk of abnormal nutritional status due to numerous causative factors, both nutritional and non-nutritional. The present study assessed the current prevalence of protein-energy wasting, low lean bodymass index and obesity in maintenance dialysis patients, and compared different methods of nutritional assessment. Methods In a cross-sectional study conducted in 2014 at Roskilde Hospital, Denmark, we performed anthropometry (body weight, skinfolds, mid-arm, waist, and hip circumferences), and determined plasma albumin and normalized protein catabolic rate in order to assess the prevalence of protein-energy wasting, low lean body mass index and obesity in these patients. Results Seventy-nine eligible maintenance dialysis patients participated. The prevalence of proteinenergy wasted patients was 4%(95%CI: 2-12) as assessed by the coexistence of low lean body mass index and low fat mass index. Low lean body mass index was seen in 32%(95%CI: 22-44). Obesity prevalence as assessed from fat mass index was 43%(95%CI: 32-55). Coexistence of low lean body mass index and obesity was seen in 10%(95%CI: 5-19). The prevalence of protein-energy wasting and obesity varied considerably, depending on nutritional assessment methodology. Conclusions Our data indicate that protein-energy wasting is uncommon, whereas low lean body mass index and obesity are frequent conditions among patients in maintenance dialysis. A focus on how to increase and preserve lean body mass in dialysis patients is suggested in the future. In order to clearly distinguish between shortage, sufficiency and abundance of protein and/or fat deposits in maintenance dialysis patients, we suggest the simple measurements of lean body mass index and fat mass index.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere0150012
JournalPLOS ONE
Volume11
Issue number2
Number of pages11
ISSN1932-6203
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2016

Number of downloads are based on statistics from Google Scholar and www.ku.dk


No data available

ID: 179273581