Appetite is Strongly Associated with Nutritional and Psychological Status in Hemodialysis Patients

Diminished appetite accompanied by low food intake might affect malnutrition and undesirable clinical outcome in hemodialysis patients. This study was to investigate the appetite status and the relationship of appetite with clinical, nutritional and psychological factors in hemodialysis patients. Sixty three hemodialysis patients were enrolled from the Artificial Kidney Center in Kyung Hee Medical Center in Seoul, Korea. Clinical characteristics, such as dialysis duration, co‐morbidity, disease severity, were not associated with appetite. Serum albumin and BMI were significantly lower in poor/very poor appetite group compared to those in very good/good and moderate appetite group (p<0.05). Calorie intake (r=0.23, p<0.05) and food variety score (r=0.30, p<0.05) were closely associated with appetite rate. KDQOL‐SF36 score was positively correlated with appetite rate (r=0.30, p<0.05), while BDI score was negatively correlated (r=−0.28, p<0.05). HSS score was not significantly associated with appetite rate. These results are noteworthy to provide evidence that appetite may be a useful surrogate indicator to describe nutritional and psychological status in hemodialysis patients. It is expected that early identification and management of diminished appetite could reduce the risk of malnutrition and unfavorable health outcomes in hemodialysis patients.