Protein malnutrition and hypoalbuminemia as predictors of vascular events and mortality in ESRD.

Background: It is proposed that chronic inflammation is common to the pathogenesis of malnutrition and vascular disease, both frequently observed in patients with end-stage renal disease. However, previous studies were unable to differentiate between true protein malnutrition and hypoalbuminemia.

Methods: This study was undertaken to determine the associations between malnutrition, measured by total-body nitrogen (TBN), and albumin, a marker of both nutritional status and chronic inflammation, with mortality and morbidity.

Validity of subjective global assessment as a nutritional marker in end-stage renal disease.

Subjective global assessment (SGA) is a widely available clinical tool established to be of prognostic value in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Although it is reported to reflect a patient's nutritional status, its direct relationship to nutrition has not been determined. The aim of this study is to compare SGA with the gold standard for nutrition, total-body nitrogen (TBN) level, and thus determine the validity of SGA as a marker of nutritional status in patients with ESRD.