A study of 313 patients with pre-dialysis CKD stages 3–5 found 39.3% screened as malnourished, with both underweight and severe obesity associated with higher nutritional risk.
Key findings
- Malnutrition risk was 39.30%: 34.50% moderate and 4.79% severe. Associations included underweight (aOR 5.10), severe obesity (7.33), prior stroke (85.23), four-week weight loss (7.55), reduced intake (46.42), impaired food access (10.63), CKD stage 5 (2.22), higher creatinine (1.86) and lower lymphocyte percentage (0.93 per unit).
Why this matters globally
The study emphasizes that high BMI does not exclude nutritional risk and that CKD screening should not be restricted to visibly underweight patients.
Thai researcher contribution
Rajavithi Hospital and Rangsit University researchers generated Thai clinical evidence linking nutrition, CKD severity and food access.
Limitations to consider
The single-center cross-sectional design cannot establish sequence. Predictors such as weight change and reduced intake may overlap with the NAF outcome, creating incorporation bias; stroke and intake estimates have wide confidence intervals.