Effect of Low and High Sodium Dialysate on Functional Capacity and Health Related Quality of Life in Hemodialysis Patients

Abstract

Abstract Background Patients on dialysis have low health related quality of life (HRQOL) and an annual mortality rate many-fold greater than the general population. There is uncertainty about whether low sodium in dialysis fluid improves overall health and wellbeing for people on haemodialysis, since there are mixtures of probably good and bad effects. Aim To assess the effect of low sodium and high sodium dialysate on functional capacity and HRQOL in hemodialysis patients. Patients and Methods comparative case-control study conducted on 60 ESRD patients on maintenance hemodialysis receiving their treatment at the Nephrology hemodialysis unit in Luxor International Hospital from June 2021 till November 2021. The study population was divided into 2 groups: Group 1: included 30 patients on low sodium dialysate (130 mmol/l). Group 2: included 30 patients on high sodium dialysate (138 mmol/l). Results Our data revealed a significant increase in the percentage of hypertensive patients recruited to be among the low sodium dialysate group as compared with high sodium group (P value <0.001). At the end of the study, there were a significant decrease in DBP, IDWG and UF among low sodium group compared with high sodium group, there were a significant increase in 6MWT and SF-36 in Low sodium group when compared with High sodium group. No statistical significant difference between the studied groups as regard each of the laboratory data, ECG, and ECHO at the end of the study (P value>0 Conclusion Low sodium dialysate is effective in improving the health related quality of life of hypertensive hemodialysis patients, however, it did not reduce left ventricular mass relative to control despite improving fluid status.