Cognitive Impairment and Its Associated Factors in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis: A Cross Sectional Study

Background: Hemodialysis is a treatment for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) that is an underlying factor of cognitive impairment in patients. Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of cognitive impairment and its associated factors in patients undergoing hemodialysis using Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in 2016 in the dialysis unit of an academic hospital in the north of Iran. A total of two hundreds and twenty-four patients with chronic renal failure and ESRD presenting to for hemodialysis were included. All the patients were evaluated by the MoCA and the cut-off point was set at ≤25 for confirming cognitive impairment. The data obtained were analyzed in SPSS-18 using the Chi-square test, Mann-Whitney’s U-test, Fisher’s exact test, the independent t-test and the binomial logistic regression. Results: From the total of 224 patients examined, 93 (41.52%) had developed cognitive impairment. The variables of age, stroke, education and diabetes were entered into the logistic regression model to analyze the associated risk factors, but only age and a history of stroke showed a significant relationship with this impairment; that is, the possibility of cognitive impairment increases with increasing age and a history of stroke can increase its risk six-fold. Conclusion: Cognitive impairment was a relatively frequent complication of hemodialysis in this study which was performed in the north of Iran. Aging and a history of stroke are risk factors of cognitive impairment in patients with chronic kidney failure undergoing hemodialysis treatment.