Relationship between geriatric nutritional risk index and subpopulation lymphocyte counts in patients undergoing hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis

Abstract

We investigated the relationship between geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) and subpopulation lymphocyte counts (SLCs) in hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients and evaluated whether they can be helpful in the diagnosis of malnutrition in these patients. We examined the GNRI and SLCs of 50 HD patients (mean: 55.8 ± 12.7 years; 28 men and 22 women) and 16 Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) patients (mean: 49.8 ± 14.5 years; 10 men and six women). The GNRI is calculated based on the serum albumin level, dry weight, and ideal body weight and uses the following equation: GNRI = [14.89 × albumin (g/dL)] + [41.7 × (weight/ideal body weight)]. SLCs were evaluated using flow cytometry. T-tests and χ2 tests were performed to compare the two groups. Logistic regression analysis was performed for predicting malnutrition in dialysis patients. The average GNRI value was 100.1 ± 8.4 in HD patients and 99.2 ± 8.1 in PD patients, and no significant differences in GNRI or SLC were observed between the two groups. SLCs were higher in patients with higher GNRI (GNRI ≥ 100) although there was no statistical difference. Logistic regression for predicting malnutrition according to GNRI revealed that age, female sex, and CD19 counts predicted malnutrition in HD and PD patients. These results suggest that GNRI and SLCs (especially CD19 count) may be significant nutritional markers in these patients.