Nutritional status affects well-being and survival in patients who are unde
rgoing hemodialysis. It was examined how maintenance hemodialysis altered b
ody fat mass. In 72 patients with chronic renal failure (age, 62 +/- 12 yr;
42 men, 30 women), body fat was measured by dual x-ray absorptiometry 1 mo
after initiation of maintenance hemodialysis and approximately I yr later
(mean +/- SD, 11 +/-2 mo). The second measurement showed significantly grea
ter body fat mass than the first (11.38 +/-3.84 verstis 10.09 +/-4.12 kg; P
<0.0001). After calculation of the change in body fat mass per month, no si
gnificant differences were evident in relation to gender or to presence of
diabetes. Changes in body fat mass per month correlated negatively with bas
eline serum albumin concentration (r = -0.449, P < 0.0001) and baseline bod
y fat mass (r = -0.423, P < 0.001). These factors independently influenced
the change according to multiple regression analysis (R-2 = 0.323, P < 0.00
01). In conclusion, body fat mass increases significantly in the first year
of maintenance hemodialysis, especially in patients with poor nutritional
status. More general, dual x-ray absorptiometry assessment of body fat mass
was found to be useful for evaluating the nutritional status of hemodialys
is patients.