Nutritional intake during continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.

The purpose of our study was to evaluate the adequacy of nutrition intake in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients. In 34 patients, diet histories were taken every 1-3 months simultaneously with adequacy parameter estimations and total nitrogen measurements in dialysate and urine. The results were normalized to 1 kg of ideal (IBM) or lean (LBM) body mass. During the 2-year study period, there was a decrease in the intake (g/kg IBM/day) of carbohydrates (4.2 +/- 1.5 vs 3.4 +/- 1.2), fat (1.3 +/- 0.6 vs 0.8 +/- 0.2), and protein (1.18 +/- 0.43 vs 0.85 +/- 0.11); daily protein intake values were higher than those of protein catabolic rate (0.91 +/- 0.19 vs 0.77 +/- 0.17). Nitrogen balance was positive (6.6 +/- 2.1 vs 1.8 +/- 2.7 g/day). The daily energy intake (40 +/- 11 vs 32 +/- 13 kcal/kg IBM/day) did not show any tendency of increasing or decreasing, stable or otherwise. The mean intake of vitamins and minerals (except Na, K, P) was less than in healthy persons; moreover, in most cases vitamin intake did not reach values recommended for CAPD patients. Protein, mineral, and vitamin intake is usually unsatisfactory in CAPD patients. However, a positive nitrogen balance can be obtained when the energy intake is close to the optimal value of 35 kcal/kg/day.