Abstract
Abstract
Background:
Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) have a high symptom burden and this negatively impacts health-related quality of life. Little is known about the symptom burden of Latinos with ESRD and variable access to hemodialysis.
Objective:
To estimate the symptom burden of Latinos with ESRD and access to standard or emergency-only hemodialysis.
Design/Setting/Subjects:
Observational descriptive study of Latino adults with ESRD receiving standard or emergency-only hemodialysis. Patients completed the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System Revised: Renal (ESAS-r:Renal). We used descriptive statistics and propensity score adjustment to conduct the analysis.
Measurement:
ESAS-r:Renal.
Results:
Participants (N = 67) had a mean age of 58 years (standard deviation [SD] ±13) and a mean Charlson Comorbidity Index of 6.6 ± 2.5, and had been on hemodialysis a mean of 42 months (SD ±43). On average, Latinos with ESRD experienced 7 (SD ±3) symptoms with a mean of 5 ± 3 symptoms reported as moderate or severe. After adjusting for propensity score, emergency-only hemodialysis patients reported experiencing more nausea compared to standard hemodialysis patients (odds ratio 8.95, 95% confidence interval: 1.17–68.31, p = 0.03).
Conclusion:
Latinos with ESRD have a high symptom burden and compared to patients with standard hemodialysis, patients who rely on emergency-only hemodialysis report more nausea. A national treatment strategy that provides standard hemodialysis for undocumented immigrants with ESRD is an important next step.
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