Introduction: Malnutrition is a common problem among hospitalized patients. In chronic kidney disease, it affects up to 50% of the population. Undernourishment has an adverse effect on prognosis and prolongs convalescence. The aim of the study was to test the effectiveness of NRS (Nutrition Risk Screening) -2002 in the assessment of risk of malnutrition for patients hospitalized in nephrology wards. The aim was to develop clinical characteristics of malnourished patients and to assess the relationship between nutritional status and patient outcome. Methods: The analysis included 292 patients, consecutively admitted to nephrology wards. NRS-2002 was assessed in comparison to subjective global assessment. Associations with patient characteristics and outcome were evaluated. Results: Out of all the respondents, 119 patients (40%) suffered from malnutrition. The NRS-2002 showed a very strong relationship with Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) (p < 0.0001). Malnourished patients were older, were characterized by a significantly lower body mass index (BMI), and had a much longer hospitalization duration. In multiple regression analysis, the presence of malnutrition proved to be an independent predictor of the duration of hospital stay. CONCLUSIONS: Malnutrition is highly prevalent among patients hospitalized in nephrology wards, and it affects the length of hospitalization. Identification of malnourished patients and patients at serious risk of malnutrition progression allows the implementation of appropriate nutritional intervention.

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Malnutrition remains one of the major predictors of mortality in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. The aim of the study was to evaluate the nutritional status of prevalent PD patients, and to determine the best predictors of outcome among anthropometric and laboratory indices of nutrition. The study included 106 prevalent PD patients from a single university-based unit. Anthropometric assessment at baseline included: body mass, body mass index (BMI), skinfold thickness, lean body mass (LBM), content of body fat (%F), mid-arm muscle circumference (MAMC). Laboratory analysis comprised of albumin and total cholesterol. Additionally, each patient underwent a subjective global assessment (SGA). The patients were followed for 36 months. Survival analyses were made with the Kaplan-Meier survival curve and the Cox proportional hazard model. Following SGA, malnutrition was diagnosed in 30 (28%) patients. Importantly, eight of the malnourished patients (27%) were nevertheless overweight or obese. Body weight and BMI showed complete lack of association with the outcome. In Kaplan-Meier analysis low: LBM, MAMC, albumin and cholesterol were significantly related to mortality. Cox analysis revealed that, following adjustment, LBM below median was independently associated with poor outcome (hazard ratio [HR] 3.15, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.17-8.49, p=0.02). Moreover, the lowest quartile of total cholesterol showed independent association with mortality (HR 8.68, CI 2.14-35.21, p<0.01). Malnutrition is prevalent in patients undergoing PD, and overweight/obesity does not preclude its appearance. The most valuable nutritional indices in predicting outcome in this cohort were LBM and total cholesterol concentration.

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