The effect of improved dialytic efficiency on measures of appetite in peritoneal dialysis patients☆

Abstract 

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of increasing urea clearance on measures of appetite and protein intake in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients. Parameters evaluated included serum albumin normal protein catabolic rate (nPCR), visual analog scales, and tests meals monitored by a computerized system VIKTOR. Patients were studied at baseline, then at 2 months after their peritoneal dialysis (PD) regimens were intensified to increase their weekly to twice their baseline value or 3.0 (phase II), and then 2 months after being returned to their initial PD regimen (phase III). Ten patients completed follow-up. The mean at baseline, phase II, and III were 1.74 ± .11, 2.81 ± .26, and 1.85 ± .15 (P < .0001). The mean nPCR was .85 ± .06 g/kg/d at baseline, 1.08 ± .09 g/kg/d in phase II, 0.85 ± .04 g/kg/d in phase III (P = .001). The mean serum albumin was 3.89 ± .15 g/dL at baseline, 4.07 ± .17 g/dL after phase II, and 3.93 ± 0.16 g/dL after phase III (P > .05). Parameters of appetite measured by the monitored test meals and visual analog scores showed no changes over the study period. We have found that improving urea clearance in PD patients led to an increase in protein intake as measured by nPCR, but no change in specific measures of appetite.

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