Serum insulin-like growth factor 1 level and nutritional assessment in nondialytic patients with chronic renal failure.
OBJECTIVE
In order to understand the nutritional status of nondialytic patients with chronic renal failure (CRF), nutritional assessment was made in 20 nondialytic patients (15 males and 5 females; mean age 43.7 +/- 15.1 years).


METHODS
Twenty CRF inpatients were selected for nutritional assessment, and 20 normal subjects served as controls. The serum insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) concentration was measured by ELISA. Serum albumin, prealbumin, and transferrin levels were also determined.


RESULTS
The mean IGF-I and transferrin levels in the CRF patients were significantly lower than those in normal subjects (IGF-1: 176.2 +/- 92.5 microg/l vs. 266.7 +/- 101.7 microg/l, p < 0.01; transferrin: 2.57 +/- 0.58 g/l vs. 3.18 +/- 0.27 g/l, p < 0.05). The IGF-1 levels in 7 patients with a serum albumin concentration <40.0 g/l were significantly lower than those in 13 patients with a serum albumin concentration >40.0 g/l (95.6 +/- 42.4 microg/l vs. 219.6 +/- 82.7 microg/l, p < 0.01). The IGF-1 levels in cases treated with alpha-ketoacid were higher than in those without alpha-ketoacid treatment. The IGF-1 levels were positively correlated with creatinine clearance (r = 0.7066, p < 0.01) and serum transferrin concentration (r = 0.5347, p < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The fact that serum IGF-1 was correlated with serum transferrin and creatinine clearance suggests that IGF-1 may be a good indicator for assessing the nutritional status of CRF patients. The serum IGF-1 level in CRF patients is probably lower than that in normal subjects and could be improved by nutritional therapy.
Lu
Fangping
F
Department of Nephrology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Li
Ping
P
Zheng
Falei
F
Zhang
Zhaoquan
Z
Tomino
Yasuhiko
Y
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000378:metabolism*; D007651:Keto Acids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011228:Prealbumin / Q000378:metabolism; D014168:Transferrin / Q000378:metabolism
D007651:Keto Acids; D011228:Prealbumin; D014168:Transferrin; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I