Dialysis Symptoms on Exercise Perception of Hemodialysis Patients

Objective: Hemodialysis patients suffer from many symptoms which may affect the exercise perception. This research was conducted descriptively and relationally to determine the effect of dialysis symptoms on exercise perception in hemodialysis patients.

Methods: The study was conducted with 120 hemodialysis patients, who have been treated at the Organ Transplantation and Dialysis Hospital of a university, and met the inclusion criteria and agreed to participate in the study. Questionnaire form, Dialysis Symptom Index and Dialysis Patient-Perceived Exercise Benefits and Barriers Scale were used to collect data.

Results: In the study, the mean DSI score of hemodialysis patients was 77±23.5, and the most common symptom was fatigue. The mean DPEBBS score of the patients was 61.8±14, and the most stated as the perception of exercise benefit was improving appetite and perception of exercise barrier was fatigue. In the study, there was a moderately significant positive correlation between DSI and DPEBBS (p≤0.01). Moreover, 21.3% of the patients' DPEBBS scores are explained by Dialysis Symptom Index.

Conclusions: It was found that the dialysis-related symptoms of the hemodialysis patients included in the study were frequent and the effects were intense, most of them did not exercise regularly, and their positive perception of exercise was moderate.

Cite this article as: Kılıç Z, Uzdil N. The effect of dialysis symptoms on exercise perception of hemodialysis patients. Turk J Nephrol. 2023;32(1):39-47.