Do you know the major causes and prevention of dialysis headache?

Dialysis is an important means of treating kidney disease, but some patients may experience headaches during or after dialysis. Understanding the causes and prevention of dialysis headaches is crucial to improving the quality of life of dialysis patients.

1. Causes of dialysis headache

1. Imbalance syndrome : During dialysis, urea and other solutes in the blood are quickly cleared, while solutes in the cerebrospinal fluid and brain tissue are cleared more slowly, causing the osmotic pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid to be higher than that of the blood, causing brain edema and headaches. This is usually more common in patients who are undergoing dialysis for the first time or who are undergoing inadequate dialysis.

2. Hypotension : If the dehydration rate is too fast or the ultrafiltration volume is too large during dialysis, the patient's blood pressure will drop, resulting in insufficient blood supply to the brain, which can cause headaches. This is more likely to occur in elderly patients or patients with unstable blood pressure.

3. Electrolyte imbalance : If electrolytes such as sodium and potassium are unbalanced during dialysis, it will affect the normal function of nerve cells and cause headaches. For example, hyponatremia can cause cell edema, stimulate nerves and cause pain.

2. Prevention of dialysis headache

1. Optimize dialysis regimen : Doctors should formulate appropriate dialysis regimens according to the patient's condition to avoid excessive dialysis doses or too fast a speed. For first-time dialysis patients, induction dialysis is used to gradually increase the dialysis dose to reduce the occurrence of imbalance syndrome.

2. Control blood pressure : Assess the patient's dry weight before dialysis, closely monitor blood pressure during dialysis, and reasonably adjust the dehydration rate and ultrafiltration volume. The patient should also pay attention to the salt intake in the diet to avoid excessive fluctuations in blood pressure.

3. Maintain electrolyte balance : Regularly test the electrolyte levels in the patient's blood and adjust the dialysate composition based on the results to ensure electrolyte stability during dialysis.