In our previous study [18], we calculated a prognostic inflammatory and nutritional index (PINI), a clinical assessment tool which aggregates serum CRP, AGP, prealbumin, and albumin concentrations into a single score [35], cancer serum index (CSI) [36], and prealbumin to CRP ratio to account for the multifactorial complexity of malnutrition in HD patients. Here, CRP is linked to malnutrition.