• Ng Marques Shek Nam MSN The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. Electronic address: marquesng@link.cuhk.edu.hk., So Winnie Kwok Wei WKW The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China., Cho Lee Wong, Yun Ho Hui, Ho Eva Hau Sim EHS Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, Hong Kong, China., Kai Chow Choi, Bruce Cooper, and Christine Miaskowski.
• The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. Electronic address: marquesng@link.cuhk.edu.hk.
• J Pain Symptom Manage. 2020 Jan 1; 59 (1): 67-76.

ContextPatients with end-stage renal disease undergoing dialysis experience multiple concurrent symptoms. These symptoms cluster together and have negative impacts on patient outcomes. However, information on changes in symptom clusters over time is limited.ObjectivesThis longitudinal study examined the stability of symptom clusters and their impacts on health-related quality of life and functional status over a period of one year.MethodsEligibility criteria were patients diagnosed with end-stage renal disease; had received dialysis consecutively for at least three months; and had given written informed consent. Dialysis Symptom Index, Kidney Disease Quality of Life 36, and Karnofsky Performance Status Scale were used to evaluate the impacts of symptom clusters and outcomes. Exploratory factor analyses and multiple regression analyses were used to determine symptom clusters and their associations with patient outcomes.ResultsAmong the 354 recruited patients, 271 completed the 12-month assessment. Four symptom clusters were identified across the three assessments, namely, uremic, gastrointestinal, skin, and emotional. Within each cluster, the specific symptoms were varied. The uremic symptom cluster accounted for the largest amount of variability. Across the three assessments, a higher uremic cluster factor score was associated with poorer physical well-being, whereas a higher emotional cluster factor score was consistently associated with poorer mental well-being.ConclusionSymptoms in patients on dialysis clustered in relatively stable patterns. The four symptom clusters identified had consistent negative effects on various aspects of patients' well-being. Our findings suggest the need for ongoing symptom assessment and early recognition of symptoms that may contribute to adverse patient outcomes.Copyright © 2019 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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