Teuwafeu Denis Georges, Fonyuy Vesuh Faith, Bandolo Nzana Victorine, Mahamat Maimouna, Nkoke Clovis, Fouda Menye Hermine, Halle Marie-Patrice
Faculty of Health Sciences, University Of Buea, Buea, Cameroon.
Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
BMC Nephrol. 2025 Aug 7;26(1):441. doi: 10.1186/s12882-025-04369-9.
Thirst and xerostomia are the main causes of poor adherence to fluid restriction and of excessive intake of fluids in patients on chronic haemodialysis. Thirst distress, defined as the degree to which a person is bothered by thirst, is hence a cause of high interdialytic weight gain and its consequences (cardiovascular death, deterioration of the quality of life).
A hospital-based cross-sectional study was carried out from 18th Dec 2023 to 11th April 2024, in 4 government-funded haemodialysis centres in three randomly selected regions of Cameroon. Patients received twice-weekly dialysis. Three hundred patients on maintenance haemodialysis for over 3 months were evaluated for thirst distress using the thirst distress scale and its characteristics, using a structured questionnaire before dialysis sessions.
About 184 (61.33%) patients had thirst distress, with 123 (57.7%) patients being "Always" thirsty. More than 90% of patients have never been consulted for thirst distress. Two hundred and twelve (70.6%) patients felt that their thirst was well managed, and 194 (64.7%) of patients felt that their thirst had no negative impact on how comfortable their lives were. Strategies used by patients to avoid thirst included staying out of the hot sun 256 (85.3%), drinking cold or iced water 222 (73.9%), taking medications with meal fluids 222 (73.9%) and limiting salt in food 192 (64.2%). The xerostomia severity score was significantly associated with thirst distress (p < 0.001, OR = 1.93). For every patient who perceived their thirst was adequately managed, there was a significant 3.89-fold decrease in their TDS score (p < 0.001, OR = 3.896). Thirst distress negatively impacted the quality of life of the patients (OR: 0.76, p = 0.021).
61% of patients on maintenance haemodialysis had thirst distress, and most patients had never been consulted for thirst distress. The determinants of thirst distress included: xerostomia, being thirsty frequently, how well their thirst was and if the patient felt it had a negative impact on how comfortable their lives were.
Not applicable.
口渴和口腔干燥是慢性血液透析患者依从性差以及过度饮水的主要原因。口渴困扰被定义为一个人受口渴困扰的程度，因此是透析间期体重增加及其后果（心血管死亡、生活质量下降）的一个原因。
2023年12月18日至2024年4月11日，在喀麦隆三个随机选取地区的4个政府资助的血液透析中心开展了一项基于医院的横断面研究。患者每周接受两次透析。对300名维持性血液透析超过3个月的患者在透析前使用结构化问卷，通过口渴困扰量表评估口渴困扰及其特征。
约184名（61.33%）患者存在口渴困扰，其中123名（57.7%）患者“总是”口渴。超过90%的患者从未因口渴困扰而咨询过。212名（70.6%）患者认为他们的口渴得到了良好控制，194名（64.7%）患者认为口渴对他们生活的舒适度没有负面影响。患者避免口渴的策略包括避免在烈日下活动256名（85.3%）、饮用冷水或冰水222名（73.9%）、随餐液服用药物222名（73.9%）以及限制食物中的盐分192名（64.2%）。口腔干燥严重程度评分与口渴困扰显著相关（p < 0.001，OR = 1.93）。对于每一位认为自己的口渴得到充分控制的患者，其口渴困扰量表（TDS）评分显著降低3.89倍（p < 0.001，OR = 3.896）。口渴困扰对患者的生活质量有负面影响（OR：0.76，p = 0.021）。
61%的维持性血液透析患者存在口渴困扰，且大多数患者从未因口渴困扰而咨询过。口渴困扰的决定因素包括：口腔干燥、频繁口渴、口渴控制情况以及患者是否觉得口渴对其生活舒适度有负面影响。
不适用。
