Acidosis and nutritional status in hemodialyzed patients

In a cross-sectional study of more than 30% of French dialysis patients (N = 7,123), we evaluated the relationships between predialysis plasma bicarbo nate concentration and nutritional markers. Data including age, gender, cau se of end-stage renal disease (ESRD), time on dialysis, body mass index (BM I), blood levels of midweek predialysis albumin, prealbumin, and bicarbonat e were collected. Normalized protein catabolic rate (nPCR), dialysis adequa cy parameters, and estimation of lean body mass (LBM) were computed from pr e- and postbicarbonate-dialysis urea and creatinine levels according to the classical formulas of Garred. Average values (+/-1 SD) were age 61 +/- 16 years, BMI 23.3 +/- 4.6 kg/m(2), dialysis time 12.4 +/- 2.7 h/week, HCO3 22 .8 +/- 3.5 mmol/L, albumin 38.7 +/- 5.3 g/L, prealbumin 340 +/- 90 mg/L.