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Background/Aims: In diabetics with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), risk of death has been reported to be non-constant after the first dialysis, and different outcomes have been observed between genders. We assessed the impact of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) on mortality in dialysis regarding its differential effect by gender using time-dependent analyses. Methods: All T2DM and non-diabetic (no-DM) patients who started dialysis in two renal units in Lyon, France, between January 1, 1995, and December 31, 2007, were included. In multivariate analyses, the Cox model and Shoenfeld residual approach were used to assess the effect of T2DM on dialysis mortality by gender. Results: We included 235 T2DM (males: 57.9%) and 480 no-DM (males: 65.6%) patients. In males, the adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) for death in T2DM versus no-DM was 0.83 (p = 0.20) and was constant over time after the first renal replacement therapy (RRT) (p = 0.88). In females, aHR for death in T2DM versus no-DM patients was not constant over time (p = 0.002). It was 0.64 (p = 0.13) within the first year after the first RRT and 2.10 (p = 0.002) after the first year. Evolutions with time of these aHR by gender were significantly different (p = 0.009). Conclusions: T2DM was associated with death only in females. This association was not constant over time after the first dialysis.

Background Kidney failure with replacement therapy and hemodialysis are associated with a decrease in quality of life (QOL). Self-reported QOL symptoms are not always prioritized by the medical team, potentially leading to conflicting priorities with patients. Electronic patient-reported outcome measures (ePROMs) allow physicians to better identify these symptoms. The objective was to describe the prevalence of symptoms self-reported by hemodialysis (HD) patients. Methods A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted in three HD centers. Patients were included if they were 18 years old or over treated with HD for at least 3 months in a center. Data were collected by the patient via a self-administered ePROMs questionnaire. Data included patient characteristics, post-dialysis fatigue and intensity, recovery time after a session, perceived stress, impaired sleep the day before the dialysis session, current state of health and the change from the past year. A multivariate analysis was conducted to identify relations between symptoms. Results In total, we included 173 patients with a mean age of 66.2 years, a mean ± SD hemodialysis duration of 48.9 ± 58.02 months. The prevalence of fatigue was 72%. 66% had a high level of stress (level B or C). Recovery time was more than 6 h after a HD session for 25% of patients and 78% declared they had a better or unchanged health status than the previous year. Sleep disturbance was associated with cardiovascular comorbidities (OR 5.08 [95% CI, 1.56 to 16.59], p = 0.007). Conclusions Fatigue and stress were the main symptoms reported by HD patients. The patient’s care teams should better consider these symptoms.

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Rationale & Objective A quarter of patients do not receive any information on the modalities of renal remplacement therapy (RRT) before its initiation. In our facility, we provide therapeutic education workshops for all RRT except for home hemodialysis (HHD). The objectives of this study were to identify and describe the needs of CKD patients and caregivers for RRT with HHD and design therapeutic education workshops. Setting & participants Two sequential methods of qualitative data collection were conducted. Interviews with patients treated with HHD and doctors specialized in HHD were performed to define the interview guide followed by semi-structured interviews with the help of HHD patients from our center. Analytic approach Thematic analysis was conducted and were rooted in the principles of qualitative analysis for social scientists. Data were analyzed by two investigators. Transcribed interviews were entered into RQDA 3.6.1 software for data organization and coding purposes (Version 3.6.1). Results In total, five interviews were performed. We identified six themes related to the barriers, facilitators, and potential solutions to home dialysis therapy: (1) HHD allows autonomy and freedom with constraints, (2) safety of the care environment, (3) the caregiver and family environment, (4) patient’s experience and experiential knowledge, (5) self-care experience and impact on life, and (6) factors that impact the choice of treatment with HHD. We designed therapeutic education workshops in a group of patients and caregivers. Conclusions Our study confirmed previous results obtained in literature on the major barriers, facilitators, and potential solutions to HHD including the impact of HHD on the caregiver, the experiences of patients already treated with HHD, and the role of nurses and nephrologists in informing and educating patients. A program to develop patient-to-patient peer mentorship allowing patients to discuss their dialysis experience may be relevant.