Does the Modality of Renal Replacement Therapy Affect Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Findings?

Abstract

OBJECTİVE: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects gastrointestinal system (GIS) and causes histological, functional and mucosal changes. There are scarce data investigating GIS symptoms and findings in patients with CKD stage III-V, receiving hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD). In this study, we aimed to evaluate the frequency of gastrointestinal symptoms and findings and effect of renal replacement therapy on GIS.METHOD: A total of 300 patients (97 in CKD stage III-V, 92 PD, 101 HD) included to this study. Gastrointestinal complaints and diseases, background characteristics of patients, drugs they used were questioned by interviews, forms were filled and examinations of patients were performed. Results of upper GIS endoscopy, colonoscopy, abdominal ultrasonography and tomography of patients were evaluated.RESULTS: The most common complaints were dyspepsia (50%), nausea (45%), epigastric pain (44%) among all patients, generally. Gastrointestinal disorders like gastritis (62%), gastroesophageal reflux (39%) were frequent in patients. Ratio of patients with weight loss was 20% in predialysis and 8% in PD and the ratio was higher in predialysis group significantly (p=0,016). It is found that gastritis ratio 70% in PD, 55% in HD, hemorrhoids ratio 24% in PD, 12% in HD. Gastritis and hemorrhoids ratio was higher in the PD group than in the HD group significantly (p=0.043,p= 0.028), otherwise there wasn’t difference between PD and predialysis group, significantly.CONCLUSİON: This study showed that; gastrointestinal symptoms and disorders were very common in CKD, beside of this; while gastritis and hemorrhoids were more frequent in the PD, esophagitis and hiatal hernia were more frequent in the HD.