Peritoneal dialysis solution and nutrition

Abstract

20-70% of peritoneal dialysis patients have some signs of malnutrition. Anorexia, protein and amino acid losses in dialysate, advanced age of elderly patients, inflammation and cardiac failure are among the main causes. Modern dialysis solutions aim to reduce these causes, but none of them is without side effects: glucose is relatively safe and brings additional energy but induces anorexia and lipid abnormalities, amino acids compensate dialysate losses but may increase uremia and acidosis, icodextrin helps control hyperhydration and chronic heart failure and minimizes glucose side effects, but may sometimes cause inflammation, and poly chamber bags allow the replacement of lactate by bicarbonate and are more biocompatible, decrease GDP, induce less inflammation and have a better effect on nutritional status. However, it appears that the management of nutrition with the different solutions available nowadays necessitates various combinations of solutions adapted to different patient profiles and there is not actually a single universal solution to minimize malnutrition in peritoneal dialysis patients.