Variables associated with time of recovery after hemodialysis

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship among time of recovery after hemodialysis (TIRD) and the demographic, social, clinical and laboratory characteristics of hemodialysis patients of a Mediterranean country. Methods: One hundred hemodialysis patients were invited to answer the following question: "How long does it take you to recover from a dialysis session?" Demographic, clinical (Charlson Comorbidity Index [CCI], Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE] and Geriatric Depression Scale [GDS]) and laboratory variables were recorded, and fatigue qualities (FQs) were assessed through 5 questions: Do you feel tired much of the time? (general); Do you feel that life is empty? (emotional); Do you have trouble concentrating? (cognitive); Do you have difficulty sleeping? (sleepiness); Do you have muscle weakness? (weakness); and Do you feel full of energy? (lack of energy). Results: The means +/- SD of TIRD was 205.5 +/- 198.6 minutes: 79 patients reported a TIRD <= 4 hours, and 21 <= 2 hours. TIRD did not differ between males and females (p = 0.382), patients with and without diabetes (p = 0.581), patients with and without coronary disease (p = 0.095), and patients with and without cerebrovascular disease (p = 0.941). CCI, the number of FQs, and GDS and MMSE scores were significantly correlated with the TIRD at univariate analysis. At multiple regression analysis, the number of FQs was related to the TIRD (coefficient 46.99; SE = 17.04; p = 0.008). Excluding the variable FQ, the GDS was independently associated with TIRD (coefficient 3.21; SE = 9.26; p = 0.729). Conclusion: TIRD was independently associated with the number of FQs. When that variable was excluded from the analysis, TIRD was independently associated with the GDS.