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Nutritional management and risk of malnutrition in seniors with chronic kidney disease – our long-term experience and algorithm by ESPEN and ERN-ERA


Authors: Vladimír Teplan 1-5;  Ondřej Gojiš 3
Authors‘ workplace: Interní a kardiologická klinika Fakultní nemocnice Ostrava a Lékařská fakulta Ostravské univerzity, Ostrava 1;  Katedra interních oborů Lékařské fakulty Ostravské univerzity 2;  Klinika Ambicare, Praha 3;  Subkatedra nefrologie, Institut postgraduálního vzdělávání ve zdravotnictví, Praha 4;  Codum s. r. o., Praha 5
Published in: Geriatrie a Gerontologie 2026, 15, č. 1: 11-21
Category: Review Article
doi: https://doi.org/10.61568/geri/50-6703/20260311/143072

Overview

Increased life expectancy includes a sharp increase in the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and of impaired nutritional status with malnutrition-protein-energy wasting (PEW) that portends worse clinical outcomes, including reduced survival. In seniors with CKD, a nutritional dilemma occurs when indications from geriatric nutritional guidelines to maintain the protein intake above 1.0 g/kg/day to prevent malnutrition need to be adapted to the indications from nephrology guidelines, to reduce protein intake in order to prevent or slow CKD progression and improve metabolic abnormalities.

These issues were repeatedly addressed by the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) and the European Renal Nutrition group of the European Renal Association (ERN-ERA) and are very important clinical problems in management of conservative treatment in seniors with CKD.

Based on our long-term experience there is a need for careful assessment to identify the presence of malnutrition-protein-energy wasting (PEW) just before reduction of protein intake, regular control of the metabolic and nutritional status and frequently also the use of nutritional supplements such as keto amino acids or renal enteral nutritional products for sipping.

The presence of malnutrition-protein-energy wasting (PEW) suggests the need to avoid or postpone protein restriction, particularly in the presence of stable kidney function and considering the patient’s preferences and quality of life.

Keywords:

chronic kidney disease – seniors – keto amino acids – protein-energy wasting – low-protein diet


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