Nutritional status and lymphocyte function in maintenance hemodialysis patients

Area of Science:

• Nephrology
• Immunology
• Nutritional Science

Background:

• Maintenance hemodialysis is a life-sustaining treatment for end-stage renal disease.
• Patients undergoing hemodialysis are susceptible to malnutrition due to various factors including altered metabolism and dietary restrictions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the nutritional status and immune function in clinically stable men on maintenance hemodialysis.
• To investigate the relationship between nutritional parameters, lymphocyte transformation, and mortality risk.

Main Methods:

• Evaluated 30 clinically stable male patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis.
• Assessed nutritional status through body weight, skinfold thickness, arm circumference, and serum protein/amino acid levels.
• Measured lymphocyte transformation response to mitogens and tracked mortality over a mean follow-up of 43.3 months.

Main Results:

• Patients exhibited widespread malnutrition, evidenced by reduced body weight, skinfolds, muscle mass, and low levels of serum proteins, immunoglobulins, and complement factors.
• Abnormal plasma amino acid patterns and significantly reduced lymphocyte transformation were observed.
• A trend towards higher mortality was noted in malnourished patients (p=0.06).

Conclusions:

• Clinically stable men on maintenance hemodialysis are frequently malnourished.
• Malnutrition is associated with impaired lymphocyte function in these patients.
• Nutritional status is a potential indicator of mortality risk in hemodialysis patients.