Clinic- and home-based renal rehabilitation improves spKt/V and uremic syndrome in hemodialysis patients: a case report

Abstract

There was an increasing uptake of hemodialysis and patient life expectancy due to improved treatment efficiency. However, the quality of life (QOL) of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients is not parallelly improved, leading to a shift in focus towards promoting the QOL. Among the common complications of CKD such as anaemia and mineral bone disorder, uremic syndrome has been found as the main contributor to poor QOL. We present the case of an 80-year-old man with hemodialysis, who presented with poor appetite and weakness following recovering from COVID-19. Biochemical, echocardiographic, body composition, psychological, nutritional, and QOL assessments suggested multi-organ dysfunction attributable to uremic syndrome. Renal rehabilitation involving the combination of clinic- and home-based exercise and nutritional interventions effectively improved his symptoms while elevating spKt/V. Our case report not only demonstrated exercise and nutritional rehabilitation as an effective approach to managing uremic syndrome in hemodialysis patients, but also provided insight into the effects of improved nutritional status on spKt/V.