Nutritional problems of Asian peritoneal dialysis patients

Clear evidence links malnutrition with poor outcome in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients; however, most studies have evaluated Western populations, which may have clinical and demographic characteristics different from those of Asian populations. Although Asian PD patients are generally regarded to have survival superior to that of Western patients, whether that better survival is related to better nutrition in Asian patients is not clear. Past studies suggest that the overall prevalence of protein-calorie malnutrition as assessed by subjective global assessment (SGA)--especially cases of severe malnutrition--seems to be lower in Asian PD patients than in Western patients. Less activation of systemic inflammatory reaction, less comorbidity, lower prevalence of metabolic acidosis, or better compliance may be responsible for better nutritional status in Asian PD patients. Dietary protein and calorie intake, dialysis dose, and membrane transport characteristics appear not to differ significantly between Asian and non Asian PD patients. Mechanisms that explain the lower prevalence of systemic inflammatory reaction in Asian PD patients need to be investigated, along with their possible impacts on nutrition and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Large-scale, prospective studies are also necessary to ascertain the exact correlation between dialysis dose and nutritional status, and to determine the dietary protein and calorie intakes that maintain a positive nitrogen balance and better outcome in Asian PD patients.