Could the Level of Serum Albumin Be a Method for Assessing Malnutrition in Hemodialysis Patients?

Could the Level of Serum Albumin Be a Method for Assessing Malnutrition in Hemodialysis Patients?

Background: Traditionally, serum albumin concentration has been used for assessing the nutrition status of hemodialysis patients despite evidence that the level is also affected by inflammation and many other underlying disorders frequently present in these individuals. The authors evaluated albumin...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nutrition in clinical practice Vol. 26; no. 5; pp. 607 - 613
Main Authors: Stosovic, Milan D., Naumovic, Radomir T., Stanojevic, Mirjana Lj, Simic-Ogrizovic, Sanja P., Jovanovic, Dijana B., Djukanovic, Ljubica D.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-10-2011
Subjects:
Adipose Tissue
Adult
Aged
anthropometry
Arm - anatomy & histology
Biomarkers - blood
Body Composition
Body Fluid Compartments
Body Weights and Measures
Female
Humans
Male
Malnutrition - blood
Malnutrition - diagnosis
Malnutrition - pathology
Middle Aged
Muscle, Skeletal - anatomy & histology
Nursing
Nutrition Assessment
nutritional status
Observation
Renal Dialysis
Sensitivity and Specificity
serum albumin
Serum Albumin - metabolism
nutritional status
serum albumin
anthropometry
sensitivity and specificity
renal dialysis
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Background: Traditionally, serum albumin concentration has been used for assessing the nutrition status of hemodialysis patients despite evidence that the level is also affected by inflammation and many other underlying disorders frequently present in these individuals. The authors evaluated albumin as a nutrition parameter, comparing it with more specific anthropometric parameters. Methods: The study included a cohort of 271 patients. The analysis involved data obtained after patients entered the study (1994–2004). Anthropometric measurements included skinfolds, mid-arm circumference, mid-arm muscle circumference, percentage of body fat, body mass index, body height, and dry weight. Kt/V and normalized protein catabolic rate were also determined and laboratory analyses undertaken. Results: Serum albumin was only weakly correlated with mid-arm circumference (r = 0.12), mid-arm muscle circumference (r = 0.15), and fat-free mass (r = 0.12). Common factor analysis of nutrition parameters uncovered latent variables, but serum albumin was not associated strongly with them. The sensitivity of albumin in detecting malnutrition was 24%, with a specificity of 88% and a predictive value of 74%. Graphic analysis showed disagreement in albumin levels with percentage of body fat and mid-arm muscle circumference. Conclusion: Serum albumin determination was shown to be a test with low sensitivity and specificity for evaluating malnutrition in hemodialysis patients. The values correlated weakly and showed graphic disagreement with anthropometric parameters. Therefore, methods that measure percentage of body fat and muscle mass should be used together or instead of serum albumin level for assessing the nutrition status of hemodialysis patients.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:0884-5336
1941-2452
DOI:10.1177/0884533611419665