title: Is serum albumin a marker of nutritional status in hemodialysis patients without evidence of inflammation?
abstract: Hypoalbuminemia, a strong predictor of morbidity and mortality in hemodialysis patients, can be a consequence of a combination of malnutrition and inflammatory reactions. The purpose of this study was to analyze serum albumin as a marker of nutritional status in maintenance hemodialysis patients with no signs of inflammation. In a cross-sectional study, we selected 40 stable hemodialysis patients with normal levels of C-reactive protein (<0.8 mg/dL). The patients were classified as well nourished (65%) or malnourished (35%) according to the subjective global assessment. No significant differences were observed in serum albumin concentrations (immunoturbidimetric method) between well-nourished (4.3 +/- 0.3 g/dL) and malnourished (4.0 +/- 0.5 g/dL) patients, and the mean values were within the normal range in both groups. Albumin was inversely correlated with age (n=40; r=-0.32; P=0.02) and directly with energy intake (n=28; r=0.43; P=0.04). In this study, serum albumin did not discriminate well-nourished and malnourished hemodialysis patients without evidence of inflammation.
authors.affiliation: Nutrition Program, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Nelma Scheyla José dos
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Sergio Antonio
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Draibe
authors.forename: Maria Ayako
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Kamimura
authors.forename: Maria Eugênia Fernandes
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Canziani
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cendoroglo
authors.forename: Alexandre Gabriel
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Júnior
authors.forename: Lilian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cuppari
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers; D001823:Body Composition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009752:Nutritional Status; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D012709:Serum Albumin