Effectiveness of nutrition interventions in the pre-ESRD and the ESRD population.

Malnutrition is present in approximately 40% of patients treated with maintenance dialysis, and several serum proteins that are associated with malnutrition are also associated with decreased survival in this patient population. This article will review interventions to treat malnutrition in patients with chronic renal failure, as well as those treated with maintenance hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. Effectiveness of the interventions, as well as the design of trials to evaluate these interventions, are discussed.