Epidemiology, impact, and treatment options of restless legs syndrome in end-stage renal disease patients: an evidence-based review.

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) (or Willis-Ekbom disease) is a neurological disorder with high prevalence among the end-stage renal disease population. This is one of the most predominant types of secondary RLS, and it is called uremic RLS. Despite the fact that uremic RLS has been less studied compared to idiopathic RLS, recent studies now shed light in many aspects of the syndrome including clinical characteristics, impact, epidemiology, and treatment options. The current review discusses the above topics with special emphasis given on the management of uremic RLS, including the management of symptoms that often appear during a hemodialysis session. Uremic RLS symptoms may be ameliorated by using pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatments. Evidence so far shows that both approaches may be effective in terms of reducing the RLS symptom's severity; nevertheless, more research is needed on the efficiency of treatments for uremic RLS.

Uraemic pruritus markedly affects the quality of life and depressive symptoms in haemodialysis patients with end-stage renal disease.

Little is known about the influence of uraemic pruritus on patients' wellbeing. The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of uraemic pruritus on quality of life and depressive symptoms in patients with end-stage renal disease. A total of 200 haemodialysis patients were included into the study. The prevalence of uraemic pruritus was 38%. Patients with uraemic pruritus had significantly lower quality of life according to SF-36 questionnaire compared to the remaining of analysed subjects. Among patients with uraemic pruritus, 64.5% individuals also showed impaired skin-related quality of life evaluated with Dermatology Life Quality Index. The quality of life impairment correlated with uraemic pruritus intensity assessed with VAS and the 4-item itch questionnaire. Depression level significantly correlated with quality of life and severity of depressive symptoms was significantly associated with uraemic pruritus intensity. Our study underscores that uraemic pruritus should be regarded as an important health problem among haemodialysis patients.

Uremic syndrome and end-stage renal disease: physical manifestations and beyond.

PURPOSE: This review summarizes data concerning the incidence, definition, pathophysiology, and physical manifestations of patients with uremic syndrome. DATA SOURCES: Data sources utilized in writing this article included the National Kidney Foundation Guidelines, the United States Renal Data System, textbooks of medicine and pathophysiology, and medical care and nursing journals. CONCLUSIONS: Early identification of kidney disease in the early stages is essential to preserving kidney function for as long as possible. The progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and the manifestations of uremic syndrome leading to end-stage renal failure (ESRF) are often not addressed in the literature for nurse practitioners. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Patients with progressing CKD and ESRF often present in the primary care setting for treatment of acute and chronic conditions not pertaining to their renal status (e.g., viral upper respiratory infections, diabetes, hypertension). Nurse practitioners need to be knowledgeable about the subtle early presentation of uremic syndrome and ESRF, risk factors for kidney disease, assessment tools to make the diagnosis and stage the disease, treatment of this disease, as well as psychological, economic, and the social impact that ESRF imposes on individuals, families, communities, and the healthcare system as a whole when the chronic disease has progressed to end stage.

Socio-economic status and chronic renal failure: a population-based case-control study in Sweden.

BACKGROUND: Low socio-economic status is associated with the occurrence of several different chronic diseases, but evidence regarding renal disease is scant. To explore whether the risk of chronic renal failure varies by socio-economic status, we performed a population-based case-control study in Sweden. METHODS: All native residents from May 1996 to May 1998, aged 18-74 years, formed the source population. Cases (n = 926) were incident patients with chronic renal failure in a pre-uraemic stage. Control subjects (n = 998) were randomly selected within the source population. Exposures were assessed at personal interviews and relative risks were estimated by odds ratios (OR) in logistic regression models, with adjustment for age, sex, body mass index (BMI), smoking, alcohol consumption and regular analgesics use. RESULTS: In families with unskilled workers only, the risk of chronic renal failure was increased by 110% [OR = 2.1; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.1-4.0] and 60% (OR = 1.6; 95% CI, 1.0-2.6) among women and men, respectively, relative to subjects living in families in which at least one member was a professional. Subjects with 9 years or less of schooling had a 30% (OR = 1.3; 95% CI, 1.0-1.7) higher risk compared with those with a university education. The excess risk was of similar magnitude regardless of underlying renal disease. CONCLUSIONS: Low socio-economic status is associated with an increased risk of chronic renal failure. The moderate excess was not explained by age, sex, BMI, smoking, alcohol or analgesic intake. Thus, socio-economic status appears to be an independent risk indicator for chronic renal failure in Sweden.

Clinical epidemiology in chronic uremia.

The burden of disease in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is high. The cost of end-stage renal disease therapy is also high. The age and co-morbidity of patients is increasing, and many patients are started on therapy with little hope of rehabilitation, and with a high likelihood of death within a short period of time. Data from large prospective studies are necessary to help patients and doctors to make decisions concerning the initiation and cessation of dialysis. Inadequate dialysis and malnutrition may adversely influence clinical outcome, and cardiovascular disease exerts a large influence on morbidity and mortality. Clinical trials are necessary concerning the effect on clinical outcome of dialysis prescription, interventions to improve malnutrition, hypertension, anemia, hyperparathyroidism, hyperlipoproteinemia, and diabetes mellitus.