Revisiting mortality predictability of serum albumin in the dialysis population: time dependency, longitudinal changes and population-attributable fraction

Abstract

Time-varying hypoalbuminaemia predicts all-cause and CV death differently from fixed measures of serum albumin in MHD patients. An increase in serum albumin over time is associated with better survival independent of baseline serum albumin or other MICS surrogates. If this association is causal, an intervention that could increase serum albumin >3.8 g/dl might reduce the number of MHD deaths in the USA by approximately 10,000 annually. Nutritional interventions examining benefits of increasing serum albumin in MHD patients are urgently needed.