Frailty in Hemodialysis Patient

• Published in: QJM : An International Journal of Medicine Vol. 117; no. Supplement_1
• Main Authors: Abou Seif, Khaled Hussein, Saied El Sharkawy, Magdy Mohamed, Hassan, Mohamed Saeed, Hosny Elsayed Atta, Ahmed Amgad
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 03.07.2024
• ISSN: 1460-2725; 1460-2393
• DOI: 10.1093/qjmed/hcae070.285

Abstract Background Frailty has been defined as a state of increased vulnerability to stressors as a consequence of degeneration in multiple systems. There remain two schools of thought with regard to frailty: one which sees frailty as a physical phenotype characterized by sarcopenia and another that views frailty as an accumulation of deficits across a variety of domains. Aim of the Work The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of frailty among dialysis population. Patients and Methods This cross section study carried out in Hemodialysis Unit of the Nasr City Health Insurance Hospital between October 2020 and July 2021. The total number of the study was 325 hemodialysis patients, 25 were excluded from the study, thus the enrolled final number became 300 hemodialysis patients on maintenance hemodialysis therapy for at least 6 months. Results The mean age of the patients was 45.57±11.79 years (range 25-65 years) 50% of them were under 45 years of age. 258 (86%) of patients were males and 42 (14%) females, with male to female ratio about 6.14:1. 37 patients (12.3%) has positive HCV, while the results also show that none of the HBV and HIV of the study group. 10 patients (3.3%) of vulnerable, 89 (29.7%) patients at mild frailty, table also clarified that, 126 (42.0%) patients at moderat4e frailty, furthermore, 75 (25%) patients at severe frailty in Edmonton frail scale. There was significant positive association between frailty and age with p-value <0.001. Males more affected by frailty than females. Conclusion The differences in the frailty prevalence among CKD patients could be caused by the different definitions of frailty that each study adopted. It is important to prevent early-onset disability in end-stage renal disease, which may be accelerated by frailty in this patient population, which includes individuals who already carry a high risk of morbidity and mortality. We adopted the Edmonton Frail Scale (EFS) based on self-report, it is very simple to administer and can be carried out by hemodialysis nursing staff after minimal training, without the need for specialist medical staff, in less than 15 min. Its association with poor short-term outcome highlights its utility in detecting frail patients, but because it is a multi-domain test, it also gives health professionals information about which areas of frailty are affected. This would allow specialists to administer specific, more complex scales to detect deficits in independence for basic and instrumental activities of daily life, cognition, emotional status, and social support. Our findings allow us to recommend the inclusion of the frailty comprehensive assessment of patients starting the dialysis program to timely identification of frailty syndrome.