LONGITUDINAL ANTHROPOMETRIC STUDY IN PATIENTS TREATED WITH HEMODIALYSIS-MAINTENANCE

BACKGROUND: Protein-caloric malnutrition occurs commonly in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) therapy and can be detected by several methods. METHODS: In this work, anthropometric techniques are employed to assess the nutritional status of 15 maintenance HD ambulatory patients. Measurements of weight, triceps skinfold thickness and arm muscle area were obtained and followed at 8 and 19 months. RESULTS: In the beginning, 70 % of patients had body weight within normal limits, but 53 % of them showed reductions in skinfold thickness, more strikingly in women, and 87 % of male patients evidenced some degree of muscle wasting. Longitudinal data showed a tendency to fat depletion. CONCLUSIONS: These results point out the need of appropriate diets in these patients to avoid further deterioration in their nutritional status.