Hemodialysis and Bariatric Surgery: A Guide for Adequate Protein Intake

Over the past decade, the number of obese and morbidly obese kidney transplant recipients has been on the rise. In the 90's, less than 20% of all transplant patients had a body mass index (BMI) that was greater than 30 kg/m2. More recently, however, 23% of all transplant recipients were considered obese with a BMI of 30 kg/m2 or greater, and 11.5% were considered either morbidly obese or very morbidly obese (BMI > 35 kg/m2).1 At present, a BMI of less than 35 kg/m2 is the most commonly used selection criterion in renal transplant centers and an increasing number of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are being required to lose weight before being considered for transplantation.

Source: Journal of Renal Nutrition - August 25, 2014 Category: Urology & Nephrology Authors: Elaine McCall, Crystal Hazzard Tags: Patient Education Source Type: research