Influential factors on serum albumin concentration in hospitalized chronic kidney disease patients.

BACKGROUND

Serum albumin concentration (SAC) is a prognostic factor that is affected by many factors such as postural change, liver function and food intake. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients excrete proteinuria, have low-protein diet, and receive glucocorticoid therapy. No one has evaluated the most influential factors on SAC in CKD patients.

METHODS

A retrospective study. Hospitalized CKD patients with less than 1 g/gCreatinine proteinuria receiving glucocorticoid therapy (n=28), with 1 or more g/gCreatinine proteinuria not receiving glucocorticoid therapy (n=36), and with 1 or more g/gCreatinine proteinuria receiving glucocorticoid therapy (n=39) were enrolled. SAC, hemoglobin, proteinuria and blood pressure at the last outpatient check-up before hospitalization, on the second day of hospitalization, at the last laboratory examination before discharge, as well as at the first outpatient follow-up after discharge were analyzed.

RESULTS

SAC decreased on the second day of hospitalization and increased at the first outpatient follow-up significantly in all groups. Unexpectedly, the change of SAC was irrelevant to the amount of proteinuria.

CONCLUSIONS

SAC was affected by not only proteinuria, but also postural change, physical activity, and food in CKD patients. SAC should be analyzed by standardizing a patient's condition during phlebotomy. J. Med. Invest. 64: 146-152, February, 2017.