Is serum albumin a marker of nutritional status in hemodialysis patients without evidence of inflammation?
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.
Santos
Nelma Scheyla José dos
NS
Nutrition Program, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Draibe
Sergio Antonio
SA
Kamimura
Maria Ayako
MA
Canziani
Maria Eugênia Fernandes
ME
Cendoroglo
Miguel
M
Júnior
Alexandre Gabriel
AG
Cuppari
Lilian
L
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*
D015415:Biomarkers; D012709:Serum Albumin