PhD project The overall aim for this research project is to investigate how the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition, GLIM, criteria for the diagnosis of malnutrition should be operationalized in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) treated with hemodialysis.
Malnutrition is a common feature among patients with CKD treated with hemodialysis. Using data from the Swedish renal registry, SNR, and from medical records, we will assess and explore how accuracy and predictability are affected depending on how the different criteria of GLIM are operationalized, with focus on the phenotypic criterion muscle mass.
Malnutrition is prevalent in chronic kidney disease (CKD), although the reported prevalence varies due to different screening- and assessment methods used. Regardless of that, the prevalence is higher in later stages of CKD.
In this study, we will assess all five GLIM criteria for the diagnosis of malnutrition in patients with CKD treated with hemodialysis. This will be done by collecting data from the Swedish renal registry, SNR, and from medical records at one university hospital in Sweden. We will explore how both accuracy and predictive ability is affected depending on how the different GLIM criteria are operationalized and also investigate how different combinations of the GLIM criteria affect outcomes for this population. We will also specifically investigate how the prevalence of malnutrition change depending on how the muscle mass criterion is operationalized and incorporated in the malnutrition assessment and diagnosis. Muscle mass assessment will be done using bioimpedance spectroscopy and calf circumference measurements.
In this study, we intend to clarify how the GLIM criteria should be used for this population. This because malnutrition is a common feature among patients with CKD, and the consequences of malnutrition cause a burden for both patients and the health care system. Therefore, it is paramount to correctly identify patients with malnutrition to prevent these consequences.
