Background: Interdialytic weight gain (IDWG), defined as the accumulation of salt and water intake between dialysis sessions, is a critical parameter of fluid management and a marker of adherence to dietary and fluid restrictions in hemodialysis patients. Excessive IDWG has been strongly associated with increased cardiovascular risk, including left ventricular hypertrophy, cardiac dysfunction, and cerebrovascular complications. Additionally, it necessitates more aggressive ultrafiltration, potentially compromising hemodynamic stability, impairing quality of life, and escalating healthcare costs. Despite international guidelines recommending an IDWG target of <4–4.5% of body weight, many patients struggle to achieve this due to barriers in adhering to dietary and fluid restrictions. This review explores the current state-of-the-art strategies to mitigate IDWG and evaluates emerging diagnostic and therapeutic perspectives to improve fluid management in dialysis patients. Methods: A literature search was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science to identify studies on IDWG in hemodialysis. Keywords and MeSH terms were used to retrieve peer-reviewed articles, observational studies, RCTs, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews. Non-English articles, case reports, and conference abstracts were excluded. Study selection followed PRISMA guidelines, with independent screening of titles, abstracts, and full texts. Data extraction focused on IDWG definitions, risk factors, clinical outcomes, and management strategies. Due to study heterogeneity, a narrative synthesis was performed. Relevant data were synthesized thematically to evaluate both established strategies and emerging perspectives. Results: The current literature identifies three principal strategies for IDWG control: cognitive–behavioral interventions, dietary sodium restriction, and dialysis prescription adjustments. While educational programs and behavioral counseling improve adherence, their long-term effectiveness remains constrained by patient compliance and logistical challenges. Similarly, low-sodium diets, despite reducing thirst, face barriers to adherence and potential nutritional concerns. Adjustments in dialysate sodium concentration have yielded conflicting results, with concerns regarding hemodynamic instability and intradialytic hypotension. Given these limitations, alternative approaches are emerging. Thirst modulation strategies, including chewing gum to stimulate salivation and acupuncture for autonomic regulation, offer potential benefits in reducing excessive fluid intake. Additionally, technological innovations, such as mobile applications and telemonitoring, enhance self-management by providing real-time feedback on fluid intake. Biofeedback-driven dialysis systems enable dynamic ultrafiltration adjustments, improving fluid removal efficiency while minimizing hemodynamic instability. Artificial intelligence (AI) is advancing predictive analytics by integrating wearable bioimpedance sensors and dialysis data to anticipate fluid overload and refine individualized dialysis prescriptions, driving precision-based volume management. Finally, optimizing dialysis frequency and duration has shown promise in achieving better fluid balance and cardiovascular stability, suggesting that a personalized, multimodal approach is essential for effective IDWG management. Conclusions: Despite decades of research, IDWG remains a persistent challenge in hemodialysis, requiring a multifaceted, patient-centered approach. While traditional interventions provide partial solutions, integrating thirst modulation strategies, real-time monitoring, biofeedback dialysis adjustments, and AI-driven predictive tools represent the next frontier in fluid management. Future research should focus on long-term feasibility, patient adherence, and clinical efficacy, ensuring these innovations translate into tangible improvements in quality of life and cardiovascular health for dialysis patients.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to compare data from two cohorts separated by a 17-year interval. We assessed the prevalence and severity of symptoms with the “dialysis symptom index” in these two groups, recruited in 2007 and 2024, to determine how advancements in dialysis therapy have influenced the symptom burden’s prevalence and severity. Methods: End-stage renal diseases patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis three times a week in the hemodialysis unit of the university hospital were recruited between February and March 2007. In May 2024, in the same unit, another population sample was recruited and studied, as in 2007. The Dialysis Symptom Index (DSI) was administered to each patient, during the dialysis treatment. The DSI is made up of 30 questions, each of which addresses a specific physical or emotional symptom. The total symptom burden score, representing the total number of symptoms reported as being present, and the total symptom severity score, which represents the sum of individual severity scores, were generated for each patient. Results: We studied 71 patients in 2007 and 61 patients in 2024. The demographic, clinical and laboratory characteristics of the two study populations did not differ significantly. The total symptom burden score did not differ significantly between 2007 and 2024. The prevalence of most symptoms was similar in the two groups. The prevalence of constipation, decreased interest in sex and difficulty in becoming sexually aroused was higher in 2024 than in 2007. The total symptom severity was similar in the two periods. The severity of most symptoms was similar in the two groups. The severity of decreased interest in sex and difficulty in becoming sexually aroused was higher in 2024 than in 2007. Conclusions: The present study shows that, 17 years apart, the prevalence and severity of the symptom burden in patients on maintenance hemodialysis did not change significantly. These results suggest that studies investigating the causes and the pathogenesis of symptoms of patients on maintenance hemodialysis are urgently needed in the next future, as well as studies on therapeutic strategies.

Background/Objective: In recent years, three systematic reviews examining the relationship between frailty and mortality in chronic hemodialysis patients have been published; these reviews employed different inclusion criteria and methodologies, leading to conflicting results. The present study aimed to determine whether frailty is associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality and hospitalization in patients on maintenance hemodialysis. Methods: The research was conducted in April 2024 using the following databases: MEDLINE via PubMed (1985 to present) and Web of Science Core Collection via Clarivate (1985 to present), with a combination of keywords to capture hemodialysis, frailty, and mortality. Results: We included 23 studies in the analysis, with a total of 10,333 patients (5592 frail and 4741 non-frail). The number of patients in each individual study ranged from 93 to 1652. Adjusted mortality data that accounted for patient characteristics and treatment variables was available from six studies (1034 patients) with a follow-up period of 12 months and revealed an increased all-cause mortality risk in frail patients in the random effects model (pooled OR, 3.28; 95% CI, 1.72–6.29). Moderate heterogeneity was observed in this analysis (Chi² = 14.06, df = 5, (p = 0.02); I² = 64%). Adjusted mortality data that accounted for patient characteristics and treatment variables was available from 21 studies (8757 patients) with any follow-up period and revealed an increased all-cause mortality risk in frail patients in the random effects model (pooled adjusted OR 2.47; 95% CI, 1.85–3.29). Moderate heterogeneity was observed in this analysis (Chi² = 55.1, df = 20, (p < 0.0001); I² = 64%). All-cause hospitalization data was available from 15 studies (6349 patients) with any follow-up period and revealed an increased all-cause hospitalization risk in frail patients in the random effects model (pooled adjusted OR 2.19; 95% CI, 1.72–2.78). Moderate heterogeneity was observed in this analysis (Chi² = 40.9, df = 13; p < 0.0001; I² = 68%). No obvious asymmetry, indicating no clear evidence of publication bias, was observed. Conclusions: Frailty is a significant risk factor for all-cause mortality and all-cause hospitalization in patients on maintenance hemodialysis and presents clinicians with important challenges in routine clinical practice.

Background/Objectives: Over the course of end-stage renal disease, patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) often face significant psychological distress. Nonetheless, little is known about perceived stress levels and related factors in HD patients. This is a cross-sectional study that explores the prevalence of perceived stress levels and the associated variables in HD patients. Methods: Participants included 223 HD patients recruited in June 2024 in Italy. Perceived stress and depression levels were measured with the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II). We also collected clinical and laboratory variables to evaluate their association with PSS. Results: PSS score was moderate in 70.8% and high in 11.2% of the patients. The BDI score was significantly higher in patients with moderate or high perceived stress than in those with low perceived stress. The correlation between PSS and BDI scores was statistically highly significant, and in multivariate regression analysis, PSS score was independently associated with BDI, but not with age, sex, and serum creatinine. Patients with moderate or high perceived stress more frequently had a BDI ≥ 17. In women, with respect to men, the frequency of high and moderate perceived stress was higher. PSS does not correlate with some clinical characteristics such as functional disability (ADL and IADL scores), and the number of comorbidities (Charlson comorbidity Index). Also, we found that there was no correlation between PSS and post-dialysis fatigue prevalence/characteristics, nor between PSS and time of recovery after dialysis. Conclusions: These findings emphasize the critical need for targeted interventions addressing stress management in HD patients, especially with gender-specific approaches.

Objective: The use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) is common among hemodialysis patients who receive treatment for depression. However, studies on the efficacy of SSRIs in patients on chronic hemodialysis are few and have led to conflicting results. The present systematic review aims to evaluate, in randomized, controlled studies (RCSs), the efficacy of SSRI administration in reducing symptoms of depression in patients on chronic hemodialysis when compared with placebo or psychological interventions. Method: Research was run on December 2023 in the following databases: Ovid MEDLINE (1985 to present); Ovid EMBASE (1985 to present); Cochrane Library (Wiley); and PubMed (1985 to present). The primary outcome was the frequency and severity of the symptoms of depression assessed through the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) or the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD). The secondary outcome was the prevalence of adverse events. Results: Seven studies totaling 433 patients were included. The number of patients in each individual study ranged from 13 to 120. The length of studies ranged from 8 weeks to 6 months. Heterogeneous data precluded informative meta-analysis. Three studies compared sertraline with a placebo. Of these, two demonstrated that sertraline was better than the placebo in reducing the symptoms of depression while one showed no statistically significant differences between sertraline and the placebo. One study, comparing fluoxetine with a placebo showed that the symptoms of depression did not differ significantly at 8 weeks. In another study, escitalopram administration led to a significantly greater reduction in the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score compared to a placebo, as well as in the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale score. In one study, citalopram and psychological interventions were both effective in reducing the symptoms of depression and anxiety and, in another study, sertraline was modestly more effective than CBT at 12 weeks in reducing the symptoms of depression. Conclusions: SSRIs may be effective in reducing the symptoms of depression in patients on chronic hemodialysis. SSRI administration, at the dosage used in the studies included in the present systematic review, seems safe in most hemodialysis patients. However, the paucity of studies and the limited number of patients included in the trials may suggest that further randomized, controlled studies are needed to determine if SSRIs may be used routinely in daily clinical practice in such a population.