Assessment of Nutritional Status of Chronic Renal Failure Patients on Hemodialysis in Damanhour National Medical Institute in El-Beheira Governorate, Egypt

Abstract

Background: Nutritional problems are of the most important risk factors of increasing mortality rates in chronic renal failure patients on hemodialysis and morbidity occurring from malnutrition significantly severely affects their quality of life. Aim: To assess the nutritional status of chronic renal failure patients on hemodialysis (HD) attending HD unit in Damanhur National Medical Institute. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in the hemodialysis unit on 174 patients. Data collection was done via a specially designed questionnaire containing; socio-demographic and clinical data, anthropometric measurements, biochemical measurements, 24-hour recall list and questions for assessment of nutritional knowledge. Malnutrition inflammation score (MIS) was used for assessment of the nutritional status. Results: 65.5% of the patients were mildly malnourished, 24.7% were moderately malnourished and only 9.8% were normal and the level of malnutrition was significantly affected by duration of renal disease and hemodialysis duration. 44.3 % of patients had poor nutritional knowledge level, and only 4% had good nutritional knowledge and the nutritional knowledge level had a significant association with level of malnutrition. 96% did not attend any nutritional health education sessions, but they were willing to attend these sessions. Conclusions: Malnutrition was highly prevalent among the studied patients. There was a statistically significant relationship between levels of malnutrition (MN) and the level of nutritional knowledge of hemodialysis patients.