title: The effect of active nutritional counseling in improving biochemical nutritional parameters and fluid overload problems in maintenance hemodialysis patients.
abstract: Management of nutritional status is an integral part of the management of patients with renal disease on maintenance hemodialysis (HD). We investigated whether active nutritional counseling can improve biochemical nutritional parameters and fluid overload problems in patients on HD. A total of 110 patients, on three times per week HD, were enrolled in the study. Information regarding patient characteristics was collected with the help of a questionnaire. Patients with hypoalbuminemia, hyperkalemia, hyperphosphatemia, and more than three kilograms inter-dialytic weight gains were identified and were given active nutritional counseling. The above parameters were followed over a seven-month period. Active nutritional counseling resulted in significant decrease in the prevalence of hyperkalemia as well as high inter-dialytic weight gains (p < 0.001). However, the prevalence of hypoalbuminemia and hyperphosphatemia remained unchanged over the study period. Our study suggests that active nutritional counseling can improve certain important biochemical parameters and fluid overload problems in patients on maintenance HD.
authors.affiliation: Nephrology, Hypertension &Renal Transplant Division, Department of Medicine, King Fahad National Guard Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Hammad
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Raza
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Courts
authors.forename: Khaja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Quadri
authors.forename: Junaid
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Qureshi
authors.forename: Ghormullah
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Al Ghamdi
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al Flaiw
authors.forename: Fayez
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Al Hejaili
authors.forename: Sameer
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Huraib