Comparison of three nutritional screening tools for predicting mortality in maintenance hemodialysis patients.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare the effect of different nutritional screening tools on predicting the risk for mortality in patients on maintenance hemodialysis (MHD). METHODS: A cohort of 1025 patients on MHD were enrolled from eight hospitals. The malnutrition-inflammation score (MIS), objective score of nutrition on dialysis (OSND), and geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) were measured at baseline. All-cause mortality and cardiovascular (CV) mortality were the major study outcomes. RESULTS: The median follow-up duration was 28.1 mo. The MIS (per SD increase, hazard ratio [HR], 1.35; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.18-1.55), the OSND (per SD decrease, HR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.09-1.42), and the GNRI (per SD decrease, HR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.10-1.43) were significantly associated with the risk for all-cause mortality. More importantly, the mortality predictability of the MIS appears similar to the GNRI (P = 0.182) and greater than the OSND (MIS versus OSND P = 0.001; GNRI versus OSND P = 0.045). Similar results were found for CV mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Each of the three nutritional screening tools was significantly associated with an increased risk for all-cause and CV mortality. The mortality predictability of the MIS was similar to the GNRI and greater than the OSND.