The Reason Hemodialysis Patients Leg Cramps

1 The most common reason is dehydration during hemodialysis too much, too fast.

Edema is a common symptom of uremic patients, the water is mainly accumulated in the cells and tissues outside the vascular space, instead of the blood vessel. However, hemodialysis vascular dehydration clear water within the organization in the water and then slowly return to the blood vessels. If dialysis dehydration too much, too fast, faster than the tissue dehydration moisture returns intravascular speed, there will be hypovolemia, hypotension, limb blood vessels, muscle ischemia, muscle rigidity so happen, is the "cramp."

2 excessive dehydration leads to weight below the "dry weight."

One purpose of dialysis patients is to remove the body of excess water, so that the body of water but not too much, to achieve the desired level of equilibrium state, the ideal weight is the "dry weight." Unfortunately, there is no reliable clinical method for the determination of the dry weight of patients, doctors can only indirectly evaluated according to a number of clinical manifestations in patients before and after dialysis. If excessive dehydration, so that patients weighing less than dry weight, lack of body water, muscle dehydration, so muscle rigidity occur. At this time also often hypotension, reduce muscle blood supply, further aggravating the muscle spasms.

3 high-efficiency dialysis cause muscle stiffness.

High efficiency dialysis, blood toxins are quickly cleared, blood osmotic pressure, water will flow to the intravascular blood vessels, reduced blood volume, blood pressure, muscle ischemia, cell swelling, so the muscle spasm.

4 Use low-sodium dialysate dialysis.

We usually use dialysate sodium ion concentration and normal serum sodium levels similar to, if you use a low sodium concentration dialysate dialysis serum sodium will be a huge loss to the dialysate to make sodium levels drop. Sodium ions are an important component of maintaining human blood volume, blood sodium levels will lead to lower blood flow within the blood vessels, reducing blood volume, muscle tissue blood perfusion reduction, the results lead to muscle stiffness.


In addition, the calcium concentration is low, uremic complications such as nerve muscle damage, uremic encephalopathy, intracranial hemorrhage can also cause muscle twitching.

Dialysis Side Effects

It's important to remember that without dialysis, many patients' only hope is a transplant. The risks associated with refusing dialysis are much worse than those due to dialysis. There are some side effects of dialysis.

Low blood pressure

Low blood pressure is the most common side effect of dialysis, affecting one out of four patients at some point over the course of dialysis treatments. The two primary causes are gaining excess fluid weight between sessions and having a weak heart. In order to avoid excess fluid weight gain you should maintain a healthy fluid level by drinking no more than a quarter of liquid in excess of what is discharged from the body daily and avoid salty foods which increase thirst.

Muscle cramps

Patients sometimes experience muscle cramps while undergoing hemodialysis. These muscle cramps, usually in the legs, can be uncomfortable or sometimes painful. The exact cause of muscle cramps can vary from patient to patient. Sometimes when fluid is taken out of the body at a fast rate during dialysis or too much fluid is removed, the muscles react by cramping. A patient should alert a healthcare team member as soon as a cramp happens to get help in alleviating the discomfort.

Anemia


The red blood cell volume in dialysis patients is often lower than normal. This is due to reduced levels of the hormone erythropoietin, which is produced by the kidneys and regulates red blood cell production. Medication to treat the anemia is commonly used by dialysis patients. See the Anemia section in the main menu for more information.