Assessment of nutritional status in patients with chronic kidney disease in Nigeria.

In Nigeria, there is paucity of data on malnutrition among chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients especially before the initiation of dialysis therapy, necessitating this study. The study subjects consisted of 96 CKD patients recruited from the renal unit of our hospital. Forty age-and sex-matched controls were also studied. Nutritional status was assessed using Subjective Global Assessment (SGA), weight change over six months of follow-up, body mass index, mid-upper arm circumference, triceps skinfold thickness, and serum albumin concentration. A three-day food diary was used to determine the average daily protein intake of the patients. Sixty-six CKD patients completed the study. The age range of CKD patients was 23-65 years with a mean of 47.1 ± 13.2 years while the age range of the controls was 23-65 years with a mean of 44.1 ± 14.3 years. Out of the 66 CKD patients studied, four lost >10% of their body weight. The body mass index (BMI) was low (<20 kg/m2) in eight (12.1%) of CKD patients, while three (7.5%) subjects in the control population had BMI of <20 kg/m2. The serum albumin was less than 3 g/dL in seven (10.6%) of the CKD patients, SGA identified malnutrition in 30 (46%) of the CKD patients. The prevalence of malnutrition in predialysis CKD patients was high in this study.