OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify the occurrence of malnutrition, inflammation and other risk factors for cardiovascular diseases in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis. METHODS: This is a crosssectional study comprising 61 patients from two dialysis units in Salvador (Bahia, Brazil). Nutritional status was determined by the global subjective assessment and inflammation by the ultra sensitive creactive protein levels. Traditional risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, such as gender, age, consumption of alcoholic beverages, smoking, inactivity, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia and food habits, as well as nontraditional factors such as disturbed calcium and phosphorus metabolism and anemia, were investigated. RESULTS: Malnutrition was found in 36.0% of the patients in the population under study whereas inflammation was present in 49.2% of them. Patients with both malnutrition and inflammation were shown to comprise 21.3% of the sample. Ultra sensitive creactive protein levels were found to be higher (p=0.04) in malnourished patients than in those with good nutritional status. High rates of other risk factors for cardiovascular disease were also observed in this population. CONCLUSION: Malnutrition and inflammation are still common among patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis. Ultra sensitive creactive protein levels were found to be higher among malnourished patients than in well-nourished patients. Many of the risk factors found in the studied population are treatable.
Malnutrition; Peritoneal Dialysis; Cardiovascular Disease; Inflammation
