Association between anorexia and hypoalbuminemia in the patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis

Abstract Introduction: Hypoalbuminemia is commonly observed in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients and can serve as an important predictor of death in MHD patients. Anorexia is one of the important factors leading to hypoalbuminemia in MHD patients, so the purpose of this study was to examine the possible association between hypoalbuminemia and anorexia in MHD patients. Methods: Patients from three blood purification centers in Nanning, Guangxi, China, who met the inclusion criteria were selected. Anorexia was assessed by appetite assessment questionnaire. The presence of hypoalbuminemia was determined based on the level of serum albumin. Thereafter, an association between hypoalbuminemia and anorexia was analyzed using multiple logistics regression. Results: A total of 319 participants, age 54.80±15.41 (62.7% male), were included in the study. In this study,the prevalence of hypoalbuminemia was 22.3% (71) and the prevalence of anorexia was 34.2% (109). According to multiple logistics regression analysis, hypoalbuminemia and anorexia were independently correlated in Crude Model 1(OR:4.235 95%CI: 2.436 to 7.362 P＜0.001) and Adjust Model (OR:3.447 95%CI:1.654 to 7.185 P=0.001). In addition, age and symptom score were established as important risk factors for hypoalbuminemia(P＜0.001); Body Mass Index (BMI), weekly dialysis frequency and serum total calcium (TCa) were identified as protective factors for hypoalbuminemia(P＜0.001). Conclusions: Anorexia is an independent risk factor for the occurrence of hypoalbuminemia. In MHD patients, the incidence of anorexia and hypoalbuminemia can increase significantly with increasing age, and can lead to a significant decline in the quality of life. In the future, further studies are needed to further verify the relevant mechanisms between them, to provide reference for clinical intervention in MHD patients.