Prevalence and risk factors of malnutrition among patients receiving hemodialysis in a tertiary level hospital in Mauritius

Objective In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of malnutrition and its associated risk factors among patients undergoing hemodialysis in a tertiary hospital in Mauritius.Methods We enrolled 250 participants in this cross-sectional single-center study. A modified Malnutrition-Inflammation Score (MIS) questionnaire was used. We collected and analyzed data pertaining to patients' medical and hemodialysis details.Results Among the 250 enrolled participants, 136 (54.4%) were male patients. Participants had been undergoing hemodialysis for a mean duration of 5.67 +/- 4.66 years. Malnutrition was present in 108 (43.2%) participants, and 176 patients (70.4%) had diabetes mellitus, which was found to be a significant predictor of malnutrition. There was a significant correlation between malnutrition and the number of years a participant had been under hemodialysis, as well as female sex. A significant variation in MIS values was found among different age groups. Participants with malnutrition had lower body mass index and hyponatremia.Conclusions Malnutrition is an important issue, particularly among women, patients who have been on hemodialysis for an extended period, those with older age, and patients with diabetes mellitus.