Correlation between protein-energy wasting and impairment of specific cognitive subdomains in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis

Objective To investigate the association between protein-energy wasting (PEW) and cognitive domain impairments in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis (MHD). Methods A total of 82 MHD patients who were admitted to Lianyungang First People's Hospital from February to October 2025 were enrolled. According to the International Society of Renal Nutrition and Metabolism criteria, the patients were divided into two groups: a PEW group (n=21) and a non-PEW group (n=61). Their clinical data, laboratory parameters, and body composition measurements were collected. Nutritional status was assessed using the Malnutrition-Inflammation Score (MIS), and cognitive function, including overall and domain-specific performance, was evaluated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scale. Results The prevalence of PEW among MHD patients was 25.6%. The PEW group had significantly lower MoCA total scores than the non-PEW group (P=0.003), with five cognitive domains-naming, attention, language, abstraction, and delayed recall-also significantly reduced (P