Improvement in Pittsburgh Symptom Score index after initiation of peritoneal dialysis.

The Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (K/ DOQI) 2006 recommended a minimum weekly Kt/V of 1.7 for peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients while emphasizing the importance of keeping the patient free of uremic symptoms. We examined a symptom score index [Pittsburgh Symptom Score (PSS)] designed to evaluate uremic symptoms to determine if the score improved in the first year of PD. The PSS is a 10-symptom (fatigue, trouble sleeping, difficulty concentrating, restless legs, change in taste, loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting, pruritus, bone pain, muscle pain or weakness) questionnaire that uses a Likert scale of 0 (none) to 5 (severe). From January 1, 2003, to December 31, 2006, incident PD patients completed the PSS at 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. Patients were excluded from analysis if they had been on PD for less than 6 months or on hemodialysis 6 months or more before starting PD. Prevalences of individual symptoms at 1 year and at baseline were compared using the chi-square test. Differences in PSS at the various time intervals were compared using the sign test. The study included 45 patients [51% women; 31% African Americans; 33% with diabetes; mean age: 58.0 years (range: 30 - 89 years); mean initial Charlson Comorbidity Index: 5 (range: 2 - 11)]. Initial median total score improved to 8 from 12 (p = 0.005) by 3 months, with no further improvement. Improvements occurred in change in taste (p = 0.029 at 3 months), difficulty concentrating (p = 0.04 at 6 months), itching (p = 0.007 at 3 months), loss of appetite (p = 0.009 at 3 months), muscle pain or weakness (p = 0.002 at 3 months), sleep disturbance (p = 0.04 at 9 months), and restless legs (p = 0.026 at 9 months). Fatigue, bone pain, and nausea or vomiting scores were low at the start and did not significantly change over the first year. Significant decreases in symptom prevalence were seen in difficulty concentrating (p = 0.03), change in taste (p = 0.005), loss of appetite (p = 0.04), and muscle pain or weakness (p = 0.02) at 1 year. Initiation of PD results in improvement in the prevalence and severity of most uremic symptoms by 3 to 9 months and is maintained at 12 months. We recommend routine checklist evaluation of symptoms at regular clinical intervals.