Graft function and nutritional parameters in stable postrenal transplant patients.

Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is a method for the assessment of nutritional status. We studied the effect of graft function on nutritional status in postrenal 45 transplant patients with borderline to good allograft function using BIA. The patients had a mean serum creatinine of 1.42 ± 0.42 mg% and mean glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 45.1 ± 14.1 mL/min. Based on BIA-derived GFR, the patients were divided into two groups; group 1: borderline graft function GFR <40 mL/min and a mean of 27.34 ± 9.1 mL/min and group 2: good graft function GFR ≥40 mL/min and a mean of 51.60 ± 9.16 mL/min. The patient data were compared with 30 healthy individuals. There was a significant difference between healthy controls and the posttransplant patients. There were significant differences between the study groups in body weight (P <0.01), serum creatinine (P <0.005), body mass index (BMI) (P <0.000), fat free mass (FFM) (P <0.003), fat mass (FM) (P <0.003), body cell mass (P <0.000), and dry weight (P <0.001). Group 1 had significantly lower body weight, BMI, FFM, FM, and dry weight, indicating poorer nutritional status compared with those in group 2. Based on phase angle, there were significant differences between group A (phase angle <4.0) and group B (phase angle >4.0) in extracellular water (P <0.015), intracellular water (P <0.002), plasma fluid (P <0.016), interstitial fluid (P <0.016), and body cell mass (P <0.024). Subjective global assessment (SGA) scores showed that transplant patients had normal nutritional status, but when compared with healthy individuals as assessed by BIA, there were significant differences in FM, FFM, and body cell mass. In conclusion, BIA was more sensitive to evaluate nutritional depletion than SGA in transplant patients with borderline.