2Sakarya University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Nephrology Division, SAKARYA
3Sakarya University, Training and Research Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine, SAKARYA Introduction: Studies have demonstrated that there is a correlation between malnutrition, inflammation, and erythropoietin requirement in adult hemodialysis patients. However, in geriatric hemodialysis patients, no evident data has been found associated with this relationship. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relation between malnutrition-inflammation score, erythropoietin requirement, and erythropoietin resistance in geriatric hemodialysis patients.
Materials and Method: One hundred fifty-four adult hemodialysis patients were included in this cross-sectional study. Erythropoietin resistance index, weekly erythropoietin dose, weekly erythropoietin dose per weight, and malnutrition-inflammation score were calculated for all patients. Measurements of laboratory and anthropometric parameters associated with nutrition and inflammation were performed.
Results: Mean age of 154 patients included in the study was 59.5±14.5 years; 81 were male and 68 were geriatric (age ≥65 years). The median duration of dialysis was 36 months (interquartile range, 18–76). Mean malnutrition-inflammation score was found to be higher in geriatric patients than in adult patients (p=0.004). Malnutrition-inflammation score was determined in correlation with weekly erythropoietin dose per weight in both geriatric and adult patient groups (p<0.001, r=0.484; p=0.029, r=0.235, respectively). Malnutrition-inflammation score was determined in correlation with erythropoietin resistance index in both geriatric and adult patient groups (p<0.001, r=0.497; p=0.014, r=0.497, respectively).
Conclusions: In both geriatric and adult (<65 years) hemodialysis patients, malnutrition-inflammation score is correlated with weekly erythropoietin dose per weight and erythropoietin resistance index. Moreover, malnutrition and inflammation is more often observed among geriatric hemodialysis patients compared with adult (<65 years) hemodialysis patients.
Keywords : Erythropoietin; Geriatrics; Renal Dialysis; Malnutrition; Inflammation