Neuropsychiatric symptomatology with chronic renal insufficiency in the stage of compensated and decompensated retention. I. CNS disturbances

Abstract

80 strictly selected patients with chronic renal insufficiency with plasma creatinine values of 1.4--14.5 mg% were examined according to a fixed scheme to determine the presence of symptoms and signs of renal encephalopathy. The general cerebral symptoms complained of were headache in 33.4% of the patient material, dizziness in 30.3%, easy fatigability in 62.5%, giddiness in 18.8% and insomnia in 37.5%. The most prominent neurological findings were hyperactive deep reflexes in 30% and action tremor in 23.8%. The symptoms of organic brain syndrome were impairment of memory in 32.5%, weakness of concentration in 28.8% and lability of affect in 63.7%. Diffuse EEG abnormalities were found in 26.2%. While the clinical neuropsychiatric symptoms did not show any statistically significant correlation with the various internal medical data, a trend was observed in the greater number of pathological EEGs with an increase in the impairment of renal function. Furthermore, there was a statistically significant correlation, (alpha less than or equal to0.015) between the occurrence of pathological EEGs and the plasma creatinine and BUN values. It is remarkable that the patients with abnormal EEGs had a relatively low mean creatinine level of 5.89 mg%. The strict dietetic management of the patients is regarded as one of the deciding factors for the relatively low frequency of neuropsychiatric symptoms in the material studied.