Epidemiological studies suggest various kinds of immune
dysregulation in hemodialysis (HD) patients. The aim of this study
was to investigate the relationship between immune functions and
nutritional status of HD patients. We studied 54 patients with
ESRD on chronic HD, included 34 females and 20 males with mean
age 46.6±16.3 (18–77) years.
We measured the height and dry
weight of all patients. The BMI was calculated by dividing weight
(kg) by height squared (m2). In all patients serum urea,
creatinine, albumin, iron, cholesterol, triglyceride, CRP, IgG,
IgM, IgA, CD4, CD8, CD19, CD16-56 lymphocytes were measured. Kt/V
values were calculated according to DOQI guideline. In this study,
a positive correlation between albumin, cholesterol, and
triglyceride levels as nutritional parameters and immune functions
in terms of total and subtype lymphocyte counts was
observed. Further prospective studies are needed to determine the
clinical importance of this finding and the appropriate means of
measurement and effects of nutrition on immune function in
hemodialysis patients.