Nutritional status evaluated by multi-frequency bioimpedance is not associated with quality of life or depressive symptoms in hemodialysis patients

Hemodialysis therapy significantly impacts on patients' physical, psychological, and social performances. Such reduced quality of life depends on several factors, such as malnutrition, depression, and metabolic derangements. This study aims to evaluate the current nutritional status, quality of life and depressive symptoms, and determine the possible relationships with other risk factors for poor outcomes, in stable hemodialysis patients. This was a single-center, cross-sectional study that enrolled 59 adult patients undergoing hemodialysis. Laboratory tests that included high-sensitivity c-reactive protein (CRP), and quality of life and depressive symptom evaluation, as well as malnutrition-inflammation score, nutritional status and body composition (by direct segmental multi-frequency bioimpedance analysis) determinations were performed. Patients were classified as "underfat", "standard", "overfat", or "obese" by multi-frequency bioimpedance analysis. Seven patients were underfat, 19 standard, 19 overfat, and 14 obese. Triglyceride levels significantly differed between the underfat, standard, overfat, and obese groups (1.06 [0.98-1.98]; 1.47 [1.16-1.67]; 2.53 [1.17-3.13]; 2.12 [1.41-2.95] mmol/L, respectively; P=0.026), as did Kt/V between the underfat, overfat, and obese groups (1.49 ± 0.14; 1.23 ± 0.19; 1.19 ± 0.22; P=0.015 and P=0.006, respectively). Depressive symptoms, quality of life, and CRP and phosphate levels did not diverge among nutritional groups. Creatinine, albumin, and phosphate strongly correlated, as well as percent body fat, body mass index, and waist circumference (r=0.859 [P<0.001], and r=0.716 [P<0.001], respectively). Depressive symptoms and physical and psychological quality-of-life domains also strongly correlated (r(s) = -0.501 [P<0.001], r(s) = -0.597 [P<0.001], respectively). The majority of patients were overfat or obese and very few underfat. Inflammation was prevalent, overall. No association of nutritional status with malnutrition-inflammation, quality of life, or depressive symptoms could be established.