Protein Supplementation In Dialysis Patients

The dialysis population has a strikingly high incidence of mortality. The life expectancy of chronic dialysis patients is 20 years less than that of the general population. Approximately 50% of individuals with end stage renal disease (ESRD) die from a cardiovascular (CV) cause with mortality being 15 to 30 times higher than the age-adjusted CV mortality in the general population. There is also a steady increase of patients with diabetes and the older age groups coming into dialysis. The treatment of patients with ESRD aims at prolonging life, achieving good nutritional status and promoting the best possible functioning and quality of life (QOL). Several factors that are beyond adequacy of dialysis predict high mortality in ESRD patients. Associated co-morbidities and malnutrition factors are independently associated and the combined presence of both malnutrition and co-morbidities manifest the worst survival.Therefore this study investigates the efficacy of protein supplementation in improving health status and quality of life among peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. This research will also generate basic data about significant health markers critical to the health status of PD patients.