A simple protein-energy wasting score predicts survival in maintenance hemodialysis patients

Nutritional status is a powerful predictor of survival in maintenance hemodialysis patients but remains challenging to assess. We defined a new Protein Energy Wasting (PEW) score based on the nomenclature proposed by the International Society of Renal Nutrition and Metabolism in 2008.

This score, graded from 0 (worse) to 4 (best) was derived from 4 body nutrition compartments: serum albumin, body mass index, a normalized serum creatinine value, and protein intake as assessed by nPNA.

We applied this score to 1443 patients from the ARNOS prospective dialysis cohort and provide survival data from 2005 until 2008.

Patients survival at 3.5 year.

Survival ranged from 84%-69% according to the protein-energy wasting score. There was a clear-cut reduction in survival (5%-7%; P < 0.01) for each unit decrement in the score grade. There was a 99% survival at 1 year for patients with the score of 4. In addition, the 6-month variation of this PEW score also strongly predicted patients' survival (P < 0.01).

A new simple and easy-to-get PEW score predicts survival in maintenance hemodialysis patients. Furthermore, increase of this nutritional score over time also indicates survival improvement, and may help to better identify subgroups of patients with a high mortality rate, in which nutrition support should be enforced.