PURPOSE: Patients with chronic kidney disease frequently show cognitive dysfunction. The association of depression and cognitive function is not well known in maintenance dialysis patients. We evaluated cognitive impairment and depression, as well as their relationship in regards to methods of dialysis, maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) and chronic peritoneal dialysis (CPD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-six maintenance dialysis patients were recruited and their clinical and laboratory data were collected. The Korean version of the mini-mental state exam (K-MMSE) was applied to screen the patient's cognitive function, while the Korean version of the Beck Depression Inventory (K-BDI) was used for depression screening. RESULTS: The average age of the participants was 54.2+/-10.2 years; 29 (51.8%) were female. The average dialysis vintage was 4.2+/-3.8 years. The CPD group showed significantly higher K-MMSE score (27.8+/-2.9 vs. 26.1+/-3.1, p=0.010) and lower K-BDI score (12.0+/-8.4 vs. 20.2+/-10.4, p=0.003) compared with the MHD group. The percentage of patients with depression symptoms was higher in the MHD group (51.7% vs. 18.5%). There was a negative correlation between cognitive function and prevalence of depressive symptoms. Depression and education level were shown to be independent predictors for cognitive impairment in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Cognitive impairment was closely correlated with depression. It is important to detect cognitive impairment and depression early in maintenance dialysis patients with simple bedside screening tools.
Adult ; Cognition Disorders/etiology/*physiopathology ; Depression/etiology/*physiopathology ; Female ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic/physiopathology/psychology/therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Renal Dialysis/*adverse effects/*psychology

Sexual dysfunction is a highly prevalent problem among patients with chronic renal failure, which affects patients in the quality of life. However, it has not received enough attention. The genesis of sexual dysfunction is multifactorial, including physiological, psychological and organic factors. This review summarized the incidence, main manifestation, evaluation, risk factors and treatments associated with sexual dysfunction in patient of the chronic renal failure.
Female ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; complications ; physiopathology ; psychology ; Male ; Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological ; etiology ; therapy ; Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological ; etiology ; therapy

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of stretching, muscle strengthening, and walking exercise on the cardiopulmonary function and health-related quality of life in hemodialysis patients. METHODS: Twenty-one patients in the intervention and the control group participated in the exercise respectively on maintenance hemodialysis at four university hospitals. The exercise was composed of 20 to 60 min per session, 3 sessions a week for 12 weeks. The effect of exercise was assessed by cardiopulmonary function (peak oxygen uptake, peak ventilation, peak respiration rate, maximal heart rate, and exercise duration) using a cycle ergometer. Grip strength was measured by dynamometer, and flexibility was measured by sit and reach measuring instrument. Health-related quality of life was measured using Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36. RESULTS: Peak oxygen uptake, peak ventilation, peak respiration rate, exercise duration, grip strength, flexibility, and physical component scale were significantly improved in the intervention group after 12 week's exercise compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate the exercise can improve cardiopulmonary function, grip strength, flexibility, and physical component scale of health-related quality of life in hemodialysis patients.
Adult ; *Exercise Therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic/physiopathology/psychology/*therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Muscle Strength ; Oxygen Consumption ; *Physical Fitness ; Quality of Life/*psychology ; Range of Motion, Articular ; *Renal Dialysis