European journal of clinical nutrition
-
Malnutrition is common in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and affects both morbidity and mortality. The growth hormone-dependent insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I may be a good marker of malnutrition because of its short half-life. In the present study, we investigate the influence of decreasing residual renal function as well as of chronic inflammation on the IGF system to assess its usefulness in this patient group. ⋯ Both IGF-I and IGFBP-1 appear to correlate well with markers of protein-energy malnutrition and sarcopenia. However, IGF-I is also influenced by age, whereas IGFBP-1 is influenced by glucose metabolism. IGFBP-3 does not correlate with nutritional status in ESRD, perhaps because of a strong association with inflammation.