Daily hemodialysis improves uremia-associated clinical parameters in the short term

Abstract

Observational studies suggest that home hemodialysis (HHD) is associated with improvements in several important clinical parameters. These include better control of blood pressure, reductions in left ventricular hypertrophy, calcium-phosphate production, improved nutritional status and enhanced health-related quality of life. In Japan, many case reports and studies of small series of patients treated with HHD have been published mainly in Japanese. The current study was to describe the short-term effects in patients starting HHD at the Kidney Disease Center, Saitama Medical University. This study represents a comprehensive evaluation of the benefits of switching patients from conventional in-center hemodialysis to HHD in Japan. The pertinent findings are as follows: an improvement in blood pressure control paralleled with a reduction in antihypertensive pharmacotherapy an improvement in serum albumin and hemoglobin levels, and a simultaneous reduction in erythropoietin-stimulating agent, calcium and phosphate levels. In conclusion, our study confirms that selected patients may benefit from HHD which offers an attractive treatment alternative and improvements provided by HHD might ultimately have an impact On patient Survival.