Oral sodium bicarbonate on the nutritional status of patients on chronic dialysis program: A randomized placebo controlled clinical trial

Objective: To evaluate the therapeutic effect of oral sodium bicarbonate in improving the nutritional status of patients with chronic renal failure on chronic dialysis therapy (hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis). Design: Randomized double blind placebo clinical trial. Setting: RTS Renal Units of Popayan, Colombia. Patients and Methods: 162 patients on chronic dialysis (hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis) were randomized to either placebo or bicarbonate. Patients received oral sodium bicarbonate, 1.0 g three times daily or placebo. Both groups received treatment for a 4-month period. Results: The study groups were comparable at the beginning of the study (study baseline) and no significant differences were observed in any baseline parameters. At 4 months, the levels of albumin and Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) improved with bicarbonate (p = 0.000), the malnutrition inflammation score and the score of malnutrition in dialysis with bicarbonate decreased significantly (p = 0.000). The PCR remained unchanged in both groups (p = 0,306). An increase of 20% or more from baseline serum albumin was observed in 6 (7.41%) patients who received bicarbonate and 1 (1.23%) of those receiving placebo (p = 0.02). At baseline albumin level