Rationale & Objective Patients experience various symptoms during hemodialysis. We aimed to assess the frequency and severity of symptoms during hemodialysis and whether intradialytic symptoms are associated with recovery time postdialysis. Study Design An online questionnaire was sent to 10,000 patients in a National Kidney Foundation database. Setting & Participants Adult patients receiving in-center hemodialysis 3 times weekly for 3 or more months. Exposure Online questionnaire. Analytic Approach Tabulation of frequency and severity of events and recovery time as percent of respondents, construction of a total symptom score, followed by rank correlation analysis of symptom characteristics with total recovery time. Outcomes Patient-reported intradialytic symptoms and recovery time postdialysis. Results 359 patients met screening criteria and completed the questionnaire. Mean age was 62.5 ± 13.8 years, 207 (58%) were men, 74 (21%) were black/African American, 132 (37%) had diabetes, 252 (70%) had hypertension, and 102 (28%) had a history of myocardial infarction, heart surgery, or stent placement. 311 (87%) patients had symptoms during dialysis in the previous week, with mean severity of 2.7 (range for each symptom, 1-5). The most common symptoms were fatigue/feeling washed out (62%), cramps (44%), and symptoms of low blood pressure (42%). Median time to recovery was 3 (range, 0-24) hours, and this correlated with the incidence and severity of intradialytic symptoms ( P < 0.0001). 40% of patients had time to recovery times of 4 hours or longer. 1 in 3 patients reported having stopped dialysis early for intradialytic symptoms and 6% reported skipping dialysis at least once because of intradialytic symptoms. Limitations Recall-based self-reported data with a relatively low response rate. Conclusions A majority of patients receiving in-center hemodialysis experience symptoms such as feeling washed out, fatigue, and cramping; these may be severe and are correlated with longer recovery time following hemodialysis, as well as shortened and skipped hemodialysis sessions.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.