Hydration status according to impedance vectors and its association with clinical and biochemical outcomes and mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease

Abstract
Background: the evaluation of hydration status and body composition in patients with kidney disease is vital for proper management, since overhydration is associated with cardiovascular complications. Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) begin to show perceptible alterations in hydration during the intermediate stages of the disease; however, there is little information regarding the evaluation of blood volume status through bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA) in this population. Objective: to determine the association between hydration status measured with BIVA and biochemical and clinical parameters and mortality in patients with stage G3a, G3b and G4 CKD. Material and methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted with patients with stage G3a, G3b and G4 CKD who underwent bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). The following biochemical and clinical parameters were determined: serum and urinary albumin, hematocrit, serum electrolytes and creatinine, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR, using the CKD-EPI formula), 24-hour urine output and blood pressure. The clinical and biochemical variables were associated with the components of the BIA. According to the resistance/height (R/H) and reactance/height (Xc/H) values, the BIVA results were individually plotted on reference ellipses to identify patients with abnormal hydration states. The patients were classified by group according to hydration status and CKD stage z-scores, and differences in clinical, biochemical and BIA parameters were identified. Mortality was determined by hydration status. Results: a total of 138 subjects, 69 men and 69 women, were studied. An association was found between the BIVA components (R/H, Xc/H and phase angle (PA) and serum albumin (albumin and R/H, r =-0.38, p = 0.001; Xc, r = 0.59, p = 0.000; PA, r = 0.58, p ≤ 0.0010). When the biochemical and clinical parameters were compared by hydration status, significant differences were found in eGFR (p = 0.01), serum calcium (p ≤ 0.001), serum albumin (p ≤ 0.001), hemoglobin (p = 0.04), hematocrit, (p = 0.04) and mean arterial pressure (p = 0.03). The patients were followed for a median of 65.5 months (IQR: 53.0 to 207.0), and 12 (8.6 %) patients with CKD died. The Kaplan-Meier curves showed that patients with overhydration had a significantly higher risk of death than patients with normal hydration. Conclusions: there is an association between the hydration status evaluated by BIVA and clinical and biochemical variables. Patients with overhydration are significantly more likely to die than patients with normal hydration.