Home dialysis linked to steadier activity than in-center care
A 12-month Kidney360 study found short daily home dialysis patients stayed more active and reported faster recovery than in-center patients.
By Tom Brennan · Health & Medicine Correspondent
2 min read
Patients using short daily home hemodialysis maintained steadier physical activity over a year than patients receiving conventional hemodialysis in a center, according to a study published June 18 in Kidney360. The findings point to possible quality-of-life advantages for some dialysis patients, though the study reported associations rather than proof that the home regimen caused the differences.
Natalia-Guillemina Target, M.D., of Pôle Santé du Confluent in France, and colleagues compared 152 dialysis patients over 12 months. The study included 82 people receiving short daily home dialysis and 70 receiving conventional in-center hemodialysis.
The researchers reported that patients in the home-dialysis group were more active at the start of the study, averaging 6,673 steps per day, compared with 4,768 steps per day among in-center patients. That amounted to a 28% higher activity level at baseline, and the gap continued during follow-up, according to the study.
Dialysis days appeared to be a key difference between the groups. The investigators found that activity dropped significantly for in-center patients on days when they received dialysis, while patients using short daily home dialysis showed more stable activity patterns.
The study also found differences in sleep and recovery. Patients in the short daily home dialysis group had longer measured sleep duration, up to 405 minutes per day, while those in the in-center group had lower duration, up to 202 minutes per day, according to the authors.
Recovery after treatment also favored the home-dialysis group. The researchers reported that recovery time tended to be shorter among patients receiving short daily home dialysis, at 60 minutes versus 120 minutes for the in-center group.
Sedentary time stayed lower in the home-dialysis group throughout the study, the authors reported. The researchers also found that anemia and metabolic control were similar between the groups.
Some blood and nutrition-related measures differed. The study found lower predialysis beta-2 microglobulin levels and preserved nutritional markers among patients receiving short daily home dialysis.
The authors said the overall findings support short daily home dialysis as a patient-centered treatment option with possible clinical and quality-of-life benefits. They also said broader evaluation and more research are needed.
The study, “Physical Activity in Short Daily Home Dialysis vs to In-Center HD,” was published in Kidney360.
This story draws on original reporting from Medical Xpress.