Protein-energy wasting and peritoneal function in elderly peritoneal dialysis patients.

Background: Nutritional status is important in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. We aimed to compare the peritoneal transport (PT) characteristics and indicators of nutritional status in elderly and non-elderly PD patients.

Methods: One-hundred and four consecutive patients were divided into either the elderly (>65 years old; n = 44) or the non-elderly (≤65 years old; n = 60) group. PT was assessed via the peritoneal equilibration test, Kt/V (K dialyzer clearance of urea, t dialysis time, V volume of distribution of urea), total creatinine clearance (CrCl), and glomerular filtration rate. Subjective global assessment (SGA), serum albumin (ALB), hemoglobin, prealbumin (PA), transferrin (TF), fat-free edema-free body mass (fat-free edema-free BM), and normalized protein intake (nPNA) were determined, and were used to indicate nutritional status.

Results: Elderly PD patients had higher dialysate to plasma creatinine ratios (D/P Cr) and CrCl, but lower serum creatinine body weights, ALB, PA, TF, fat-free edema-free BM, SGA, and nPNA than the non-elderly group. Multivariate analysis indicated that, after adjusting for PD time, body weight, diabetes mellitus, age, and sex, SGA negatively correlated with D/P Cr, whereas after adjusting for PD time, diabetes mellitus, and sex, D/P Cr positively correlated with age in all patients.

Conclusions: Protein-energy wasting and a high PT are more common in elderly than non-elderly PD patients. Nutritional status should be carefully considered when prescribing the PD dose and frequency, especially in elderly patients.