Total body potassium--a guide to nutritional health in patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.

Nutritional status in patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis was estimated by serial simultaneous measurements (3 to 6 months) of total body potassium, weight, serum, albumin, total serum globulins and IgG, IgA, IgM, total iron binding capacity, and hematocrit. Correlations were performed between the changes per month in these measurements and with episodes of peritonitis per month. Changes per month in serum albumin and total iron binding capacity correlated with total body potassium. Serum immunoglobulins fell with time on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis but there was no correlation with the other measurements. Changes in total body potassium per month correlated negatively with episodes of peritonitis per month. Of these measured parameters only the change in total body potassium per month reflected long-term clinical consequences of peritonitis. The studies suggest that lower rates of infection, hopefully now possible with solutions in plastic bags, will prevent catabolism.