#6031 ASSOCIATION BETWEEN THE MINI-BESTEST AND POSTUROGRAPHY IN PATIENTS ON HEMODIALYSIS

Abstract

Abstract Background and Aims Patients on hemodialysis present complications due chronic kidney disease and hemodialysis treatment that compromise postural balance. Posturography is the gold standard device for measuring postural balance; however, its cost limits the use of this method for routine patient evaluation. Alternatively, the Mini Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest) have been used to evaluate postural balance, as it is inexpensive and has high test-retest reliability. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the Mini-BESTest and posturography in patients on hemodialysis. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted with patients aged ≥18 years who were undergoing hemodialysis treatment for at least three months. Patients were excluded if presented physical or cognitive incapable to perform the proposed tests, assisted gait, uncorrected visual impairments, severe and unstable comorbidities, and hospitalization in the past three months. Postural balance was evaluated by the Mini-BESTest and posturography [a force plate recorded the center of pressure (COP) path length in a static position with eyes opened (EO) and eyes closed (EC) on a firm surface]. The normality of the data was analyzed using the Shapiro‒Wilk test. The associations between Mini-BESTest score and COP path length in the EO and EC were tested using Spearman´s correlation coefficients. Then, two multiple linear regression models were constructed with COP path length in the EO and EC as the dependent variable and Mini-BESTest score and potential confounders (age, gender, diabetes mellitus, body index mass, hemodialysis efficiency index, and hemoglobin) as independent variables. A p value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results This study included 109 patients (58.4 ± 12.9 years, 57.8% male). The Mini-BESTest was correlated with COP path length in the EO (ρ = -0.365, p < 0.001) and EC (ρ = -0.279, p = 0.003). The multiple linear regression models showed an association of the Mini-BESTest with COP path length in the EO (R2 = 0.28; adjusted R2 = 0.23; p < 0.001) and EC (R2 = 0.26; adjusted R2 = 0.20; p < 0.001). Conclusion The Mini-BESTest was associated with posturography in patients on hemodialysis. Therefore, the Mini-BESTest is a feasible test to evaluate postural balance in clinical routine practice during the physical function evaluation of these patients.