Utility of geriatric nutritional risk index in patients with chronic kidney disease: A mini‐review

Abstract

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the most significant risk factors for cardiovascu-lardisese. Malnutrition has been recognized as a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease in patients with CKD, including those on chronic dialysis. Current studies showed higher all‐cause and cardiovascular mortality rates in patients with CKD and malnutrition. Geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI), a simple and validated nutritional screening measure for both elderly people and patients on dialysis, is based only on three objective parameters: body weight, height, and serum albumin level. Recently, we demonstrated that the cutoff GNRI for predicting all‐cause and cardiovascular mortality was 96 in patients on hemodialysis. Moreover, together with left ventricular hypertrophy and low estimated glomerular filtration rate, the utility of GNRI as a significant determinant of cardiovascular events was demonstrated in non‐dialysis‐dependent patients with CKD. In the present review, we summarize available evidence regarding the relationship of GNRI with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in patients with CKD including those on dialysis.