The nutritional status of the first 1,000 patients randomized into the Hemodialysis (HEMO) Study was analyzed at baseline when they received their typical dialysis dose (equilibrated Kt/V = 1.30 +/- 0.22) and dialysis membrane. This is the largest study to date of the nutritional status of chronic hemodialysis patients. The mean (+/- SD) values for these parameters included a serum albumin level of 3.65 +/- 0.38 g/dL, a dietary energy intake of 22.9 +/- 8.4 kcal/kg/day, a dietary protein intake of 0.93 +/- 0.36 g/kg/day, and a double pool normalized protein catabolic rate (enPCR) of 1.00 +/- 0.25 g/kg/day. The percentage of patients below HEMO Study nutritional standards of care included 29% of patients with a serum albumin level less than 3.5 g/dL, 76% of patients with a dietary energy intake less than 28 kcal/kg/day, 61% of patients with a dietary protein intake less than 1.0 g/kg/day, and 52% of patients with an enPCR of less than 1.0 g/kg/day. There was a strong correlation between dietary protein intake and dietary energy intake (r = 0.74, P < 0.0001). Significant correlations were also evident between serum albumin and double pool PCR and between dietary protein intake and double-pool PCR. Kt/V and membrane flux were not predictive of baseline dietary protein intake, dietary energy intake, or serum albumin level. Thus, a majority of patients in the HEMO Study had protein and energy intake levels and enPCR levels that were below National Kidney Foundation Kidney Dialysis Outcome Quality Improvement (NKF-K/DOQI) guidelines.
Copyright 2002 by the National Kidney Foundation, Inc.