Wasting in Chronic Kidney Disease – a Complex Issue

Wasting in chronic kidney disease

Wasting/cachexia is prevalent among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). It is to be distinguished from malnutrition, which is defined as the consequence of insufficient food intake or an improper diet. Malnutrition is characterized by hunger, which is an adaptive response, whereas anorexia is prevalent in patients with wasting/cachexia. Energy expenditure decreases as a protective mecha...

Erratum to: Wasting in chronic kidney disease

In the original publication the initial letters for author T. Alp Ikizler had been printed in reverse order.

A balancing act: protein-energy wasting in chronic kidney disease.

PROTEIN ENERGY WASTING and its extreme form, cachexia, is common among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). This maladaptive metabolic state is fueled by inflammation and is characterized by anorexia, increased energy expenditure, ineffective utilization of nutrients, and augmented protein catabolism leading to loss of lean body mass. At the core of the regulation of energy balance is th...

Protein-Energy Wasting and Mortality in Chronic Kidney Disease

Protein-energy wasting (PEW) is common in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and is associated with an increased death risk from cardiovascular diseases. However, while even minor renal dysfunction is an independent predictor of adverse cardiovascular prognosis, PEW becomes clinically manifest at an advanced stage, early before or during the dialytic stage. Mechanisms causing loss of mu...

Vitamin deficiencies in chronic kidney disease