Prevalence of Malnutrition in Low-Income Mexican CAPD Patients

Malnutrition is a common finding in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients (1-6) and has been shown to be associated with increased morbidity and mortality (5). Identified risk factors are diabetes mellitus and female gender, nutritional status at the start of therapy, length of time on dialysis, age, and residual renal function (1,4,7,8). The reported prevalence in developed countries varies from 18% to 55% (1-3,5,6). In Mexico, it has been reported that 82% of CAPD patients show some degree of malnutrition (4). Socioeconomic factors and diabetes mellitus might contribute to the problem, since reduced income limits the availability of food. Our program provides CAPD to patients from the lowest social strata in Mexico. The average annual income in our state is US$1,775 and the prevalence of malnutrition is 25% (9). Our patients’ annual income per capita ranges between US$30 and US$430. (10). Diabetes mellitus is the main cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in our state, representing 40% of our prevalent CAPD population (11). In this study, we report the prevalence of malnutrition among low-income Mexican CAPD patients and compare results with other series. Copyright © by International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis