Post‐dialysis fatigue predicts all‐cause mortality in patients on chronic hemodialysis

Abstract

AbstractIntroductionFatigue is reportedly associated with a poor prognosis in dialysis patients. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether fatigue on dialysis days or non‐dialysis days is associated with mortality in patients on chronic hemodialysis.MethodsThis was a prospective study of 134 hemodialysis patients. The level of fatigue was evaluated using a visual analog scale (VAS). The association between high fatigue evaluated by the highest quartile of the VAS value and all‐cause death was investigated.ResultsThe fatigue scale score was significantly higher on dialysis than on non‐dialysis days. During the follow‐up period (median 6.8 years), 42 patients died. Patients with high post‐dialysis fatigue in the higher quartiles died more frequently compared to those with in the lower quartiles (p = 0.012). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that high post‐dialysis fatigue was an independent predictor of all‐cause death (adjusted hazard ratio 2.12, 95% confidence interval 1.10–4.07).ConclusionHigher post‐dialysis fatigue is related to increased mortality.