Nutritional Status of Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis Patients

ABSTRACT

Dialysis patients are at risk of malnutrition not only because of losses of nutrients during peritoneal dialysis but also because of anorexia that results in inadequate nutrient intakes. The aim of this study was to estimate the nutritional status of 154 patients receiving continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), especially focused on protein-energy malnutrition and vitamin and mineral status. The mean age of the subjects was 51.2 +/- 12.4 y with educational years of 12.3 +/- 0.4 y for male and 9.6 +/- 0.4 y for female. The mean duration of dialysis was 22.7 +/- 21.7 mo. The causes of renal failure included diabetes (32.7), chronic glomerulonephritis (15.0%), and hypertension (8.5%). The main complications associated with chronic renal failure were hypertension (86.1%), diabetes (35.4%) and liver disease (9.0%). The mean daily energy intake was 1216.8 +/- 457.3 kcal and increased to 1509.2 +/- 457.2 kcal when added with the energy from dextrose in dialysate. The latter was still much lower than estimated energy requirement but energy intake per kg of body weight (28.1 kcal/1 g) was within the range of that recommended for CAPD patients' diet therapy (25 - 30 kcal/kg). The average daily intake of protein was 49.2 +/- 25.1 g with 37.6% of the patients showing their intakes less than Estimated Average Requirement. The average protein intake per kg of weight was 0.9 g/kg, which is less than that recommended for CAPD patients (1.2 - 1.5 g/kg) with mean serum albumin level 3.2 +/- 0.5 g/dl. The proportion of the patients with dietary calcium intake less than EAR was 90.9%, but when added with supplementary calcium (phosphorus binder), most patients showed their total calcium intake between EAR and UL. Fifty percent of the patients were observed with dietary iron intake less than EAR, however most patients revealed their total iron intake with supplementation above UL. The addition of folic acid with supplementation increased mean total folic intake to 1126.0 +/- 152.4 microgram and ninety eight percent of the subjects showed their total folic acid intake above UL. The prevalence of anemia was 83.1% assessed with hemoglobin level, even with high intakes of iron with supplementation. Thirty four percent of the patients showed their fasting blood glucose was not under control (> or = 126 mg/dl) even with medication or insulin probably due to dextrose from dialysate. The mean blood lipid levels were within the reference levels of hyperlipidemia, but with 72.1% of the patients showing lower HDL-C. In conclusion, Fairly large proportion of the patients were observed with protein malnutrition with low intake of protein and serum albumin level. Few patients showed their vitamins and minerals intake less than EAR with supplementation. For iron and folic acid, their intakes were increased to above UL for large proportion of the patients. However, more than eighty percent of the patients were still anemic associated with decreased renal function. The serum blood glucose and lipid level were not under control for some patients with medication. It seems that supplementation and medications that patients are taking should be considered for dietary consulting of CAPD patients.