Nutritional Status in Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients in A Large Chinese Region: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional...

To evaluate the nutritional status of maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients in a large Chinese region.

A multicenter cross-sectional investigation was carried out. All MHD patients received dialysis treatment from April to June 2024 in dialysis centers selected by convenience sampling within a large Chinese region were recruited. Demographic characteristics, physical parameters, and laboratory indices were collected. Protein-energy wasting (PEW) was adopted as a standard for malnutrition assessment and was analyzed in accordance with geographical subgroups. A multivariate logistic regression model was conducted to identify the influencing factors of PEW.

In this study, the data of 4,618 MHD patients from 86 dialysis centers were analyzed. The prevalence rate of PEW was 33.2% (1,531/4,618). Subgroup analysis indicated that the prevalence rate was the highest in the Southern region, reaching 37% (535/1,446), and there were significant differences among different areas (Χ² = 19.992, P = .001). However, the primary manifestations were all characterized by the reduced muscle mass and muscle strength. Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that age (oddrs ratio [OR] = 1.026, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.021-1.032, P < .01), sex (OR = 1.185, 95% CI: 1.038-1.352, P = .012), dialysis frequency (OR = 0.842, 95% CI: 0.731-0.969, P = .017), and hemodiafiltration frequency (OR = 0.936, 95% CI: 0.896-0.978, P = .003) were independent influencing factors of PEW.

This study revealed the prevalence and manifestations of PEW among MHD patients in the large Chinese region as well as differences and related factors in different areas. It offered certain evidence for monitoring the nutritional status and future nutritional interventions of MHD patients in this region.