Analysis of post-dialysis fatigue in maintenance hemodialysis patients

Objective To analysis the post-dialysis fatigue status of maintenance hemodialysis patients, explore the influencing factors in these patients and propose effective interventions. Methods One hundred and twenty maintenance hemodialysis patients in Department of Nephrology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University were enrolled. Clinical data were obtained by questionnaires. Biochemical changes before and post hemodialysis were recorded. The serum concentrations of hemoglobin, albumin, electrolyte, bicarbonate and lactic acid were collected for analysis. Results One hundred and nine (90.8%) effective questionnaires were collected, in which more than half of patients claimed to experience post-dialysis fatigue. Time to recover from hemodialysis (TIRD) was different: the median (interquartile range) time was 2.00(0.00, 3.00) hours. In the study, 30.3% patients reported no fatigue after hemodialysis. Recovery time in 35.8% patients was more than 30 minutes to 2 hours, 22.0% was 3 to 4 hours, 11.0% was 5 to 12 hours, 0.9% patients took longer time to recover from a dialysis session. According to the recovery time, these patients were divided into three groups. Among the three groups, the ultrafiltration, the serum sodium and lactic acid after dialysis showed significant difference. It was showed by the unconditional logistic regression analysis that ultrafiltration (OR=2.35, 95%CI 1.44-3.83), serum sodium (OR=0.75, 95%CI 0.65-0.88), lactic acid (OR=3.16, 95%CI 1.32-7.55) were associated of TIRD. Conclusions The incidence of post-dialysis fatigue is high. Most of the patients require more rest or sleep immediately after dialysis. The level of lactic acid is a significant influencing factor of the fatigue of patients. TIRD is correlated with the elevation of lactic acid during the dialysis process, and more attention should be paid to post-dialysis fatigue. Key words: Renal dialysis; Fatigue; Lactic acid