Potential Complications of Dialysis

Long-term application of dialysis presents various complications which may become the final cause of patient's death. Therefore, for people who are undergoing dialysis or are looking to dialysis, learning dialysis complications and corresponding management of them in advance is very necessary.

1. Hypotension

Hypotension is the most common dialysis complication, affecting one out of four patients at some point over the course of dialysis treatments.

Solution: The main causes for hypotension during dialysis are the excessive gaining of fluid weight between sessions and a weak heart. Therefore, to avoid excess fluid weight gain, you should control your body weight by drinking less water and avoid salty foods which increase thirst.

2. Nausea and Vomiting

Nausea and vomiting during dialysis can be caused by low blood pressure and excess fluid weight gain.

Solution: Inform your nurse to adjust the machine accordingly if this complication occurs during dialysis. However, if they occur at home, you need to tell your doctors and ask them for anti-nausea medicines

3. Dry or Itchy Skin

Dialysis complication of itchy skin is experienced easily by patients in winter and it is one of the most bothersome complications.

Solution: I mild cases, patients should have a bath regularly so as to keep skin cleaning. However, if it is too serious to bear, patients can daub some fluids or take some oral medicines which can help to remit this symptoms.

4. Muscle Cramping

Muscle cramping is also one of the dominant dialysis complications and always causes extreme discomfort to many patients.

Solution: some medicines may help but these should be discussed with your physician.

5. Headache

Headache may also occur when dialysis is about going to end or after dialysis. It is a common dialysis complications that can be caused by rapid fluctuation of blood pressure, Dialysis Disequilibrium Syndrome (DDS), electrolyte imbalance after dialysis or changing of dialysis fluids.

Solution: Firstly, control your blood pressure actively by taking medicines and reducing salt intake. Tell your doctor how do you feel after dialysis and get to know whether your fluid is changed. If your headache is unfortunately caused by changing of dialysis fluids, ask your doctor to give you the previous dialysis fluids.

Apart from these, dialysis may cause other complications like coma, restless leg syndrome, infection disease, anemia and so on. If you want to know more information about dialysis complications, please leave message to us.