Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Jan;20(1):44-51.
doi: 10.1053/j.jrn.2009.04.001. Epub 2009 Sep 3.

Assessment of prealbumin in hemodialysis and renal-transplant patients

Stavroula Chrysostomou  1 , Chalalambos Stathakis, George Petrikkos, George Daikos, Athina Gompou, Despina Perrea
Affiliations

Assessment of prealbumin in hemodialysis and renal-transplant patients

Stavroula Chrysostomou et al. J Ren Nutr. 2010 Jan.

Abstract

Objective: This study assessed prealbumin in hemodialysis (HD) and renal-transplant (RT) patients, and compared it with other biochemical and anthropometric markers, clinical conditions, and treatment variables.

Design: We used a research design.

Patients: Serum prealbumin was measured in 84 HD patients with a mean age of 60.47 +/- 17.81 years and a mean body mass index (BMI) of 24.38 +/- 4.87 kg/m(2), and in 154 RT patients with a mean age of 44.08 +/- 13.59 years and a mean BMI of 24.97 +/- 3.87 kg/m(2). Renal-transplant patients were divided into three groups, based on year of renal transplantation (first year, first to second year, and third to tenth year). Serum albumin, creatinine, cholesterol, glucose, triglycerides, white blood cells, BMI, midarm circumference, and triceps and biceps skinfolds were measured.

Results: Prealbumin levels were significantly higher in HD patients compared with RT patients. Both groups had prealbumin levels <30 mg/dL, but almost all RT patients in our study had prealbumin levels <20 mg/dL. Gender, age, and presence of anemia, hypertension, and diabetes did not significantly affect prealbumin levels in the two groups. Prealbumin levels were significantly positively correlated with duration of dialysis in the HD group and with albumin in the RT group.

Conclusions: Hemodialysis patients have higher levels of prealbumin compared with RT patients. Prealbumin levels are below normal range in both groups of patients. Prealbumin reflects nutritional status in RT patients, but is also affected by other factors.

PubMed Disclaimer