Fatigue in Patients Receiving Maintenance Hemodialysis: A Review

Fatigue surrounding hemodialysis treatments is a common and often debilitating symptom that impacts patients’ quality of life. Intradialytic fatigue develops or worsens immediately before hemodialysis and persists through the dialysis treatment. Little is known about associated risk factors or pathophysiology, although it may relate to a classic conditioning response. Postdialysis fatigue (PDF) develops or worsens after hemodialysis and may persist for hours. There is no consensus on how to measure PDF.