Assessment of nutritional status and quality of life among hemodialysis patients in Aswan

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is prevalent in patients with end-stage kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis (HD). It adversely affects the prognosis and is linked to elevated morbidities, mortalities as well as diminished quality of life (QOL). This study attempted to assess the nutritional status and QOL among HD cases. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed at Aswan University Hospital (Aswan, Egypt) in the interval from December 2022 until December 2023. The study included 150 patients on regular HD. All patients underwent comprehensive examinations, including a complete medical history of age, sex, body mass index (BMI), marital status, occupation, education, duration of dialysis, number of sessions per week. Investigations included complete blood count, urea, creatinine, total iron binding capacity, ferritin, albumin, cholesterol and triglyceride. The nutritional state was evaluated using the Subjective Global Assessment score (SGA) and QOL was assessed utilizing the 12-item Short Form Survey (SF-12). RESULTS: . The prevalence of malnutrition was 86%; 105 (70%) patients exhibited mild to moderate malnutrition. The current study revealed a marked negative association between SGA score and age (P = 0.029), BMI (P = 0.002), TIBC (P < 0.001), ferritin (P < 0.001), TG (P = 0.029), cholesterol (P < 0.001) and albumin (P < 0.001). Furthermore, there was a substantial positive correlation between the SGA score and duration of dialysis (P < 0.001). Regarding QOL, there was a marked negative association between the physical component summary (PCS) and age (P < 0.001), SGA score (P = 0.042) and BMI (P = 0.024). CONCLUSION: Malnutrition is prevalent among hemodialysis patients in Aswan, particularly in individuals receiving long-term hemodialysis. The majority of patients exhibited mild to moderate malnutrition, whereas severe malnutrition was infrequent. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.