The Japanese Journal of Clinical Dialysis Vol.20 No.12(7)

Theme New Trends in Nutritional Assessment of Dialysis Patients
Title Description of subjective global assessment technique
Publish Date 2004/11
Author Toru Hyodo Department of Urology, Yokohama Dai-ichi Hospital / Department of Urology, Kitasato University School of Medicine
Author Natsuko Gushiken Department of Nutrition, Yokohama Dai-ichi Hospital
Author Sumiko Yamamoto Department of Nursing, Atsugi Clinic
Author Kazunari Yoshida Department of Urology, Kitasato University School of Medicine
Author Shiro Baba Department of Urology, Kitasato University School of Medicine
[ Summary ] Subjective global assessment (SGA) is a clinical nutritional assessment method, which Baker et al. on reported in 1982 in Canada. It was introduced into the Canadian, American and European guidelines in the field of renal failure and its usefulness has been widely accepted. In our experience, we were quite surprised when we actually observed the state described in the reference to the assessment of muscle mass and of subcutaneous fat volume. We think that this may be one of the causes why SGA is not as commonly used in Japan as would be expected from its usefulness. In the present review, we showed with photographs, how the examiners subjectively assessed muscle mass and subcutaneous fat volume and added comments on that subject. The results of our previous SGA study also suggested that it was desirable to conduct SGA after hemodialysis sessions because edema could be assessed. It was also suggested that outpatients on maintenance hemodialysis who were below B, that is, in a nutritionally state considered to be below adequate and, should be observed. It should be taken into consideration that some serious disease might be masked by these poor nutritional states.
back