Is subjective global assessment a good index of nutrition in peritoneal dialysis patients with gastrointestinal symptoms?

OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether patients with gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms were prone to be diagnosed as malnourished by subjective global assessment (SGA) by simultaneously evaluating SGA and other indices of nutrition in a cross-sectional survey of peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients.

PATIENTS AND METHOD: From June 2006 to June 2007, 214 PD patients were involved in the study. We recorded results of a GI symptoms questionnaire (GSQ) and SGA. Other indices of nutrition included dietary intake, chemistry examination, anthropometry, handgrip strength, and lean body mass measured by creatinine kinetics.

RESULTS: Mean age of the 214 PD patients enrolled in the study was 60.22 +/- 14.02 years, and mean dialysis duration was 60.22 +/- 14.02 months. Of the 214 patients, 56 (27.16%) were diagnosed as malnourished by SGA. The mean GSQ scores were 9.37 +/- 1.71 (range: 8 - 17). There were 90 patients with GSQ scores of 8 (group 1), 80 patients with scores of 9 or 10 (group 2), 44 patients with scores of 11 or more (group 3). The prevalence of malnutrition diagnosed by SGA was significantly different in the three groups: 15.56% in group 1, 27.5% in group 2, and 45.45% in group 3 (p = 0.02). However, we observed no difference between the three groups in mid-arm circumference, skinfold thickness (biceps, triceps, subscapular, and suprailiac), daily protein and energy intake, handgrip strength, lean body mass, and serum albumin and prealbumin levels (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that the reliability of SGA in PD patients with GI symptoms remains worth exploring. These patients are possibly diagnosed as malnourished by SGA, although many other indices of nutrition are not necessarily bad.