[The body composition of patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis on an outpatient regimen]

Malnutrition is a common problem in patients with renal failure. The causes are multifactorial and include inadequate food intake, loss of nutrients into dialysate, intercurrent illness, uremic toxins and endocrine abnormalities. Therefore, it is very convenient to implement techniques for the assessment of the nutritional status in these patients. In this study, data referable to 32 subjects (17 men and 15 women) undergoing long-term hemodialysis therapy are presented. Measurements involved body weight, corrected by height and frame, arm-muscle area and triceps skinfold thickness. Our results show that about 40% of patients in stable maintenance hemodialysis are at risk of protein-calorie malnutrition, in such a way that muscle wasting is more frequent in male, while fat depletion occurs more commonly in female patients. These data are within the range of figures previously found in other hospitalized patients and confirm the need for an adequate evaluation of the nutritional status in this population in order to improve the global health care.