Cognitive-psychomotor functions and nutritional status in maintenance hemodialysis patients: are they related?

Both cognitive impairment and malnutrition are common in hemodialysis patients and associated with adverse clinical outcome. The aim of the study was to investigate performance on a detailed cognitive and psychomotor battery in maintenance hemodialysis patients in correlation to nutritional status. A selected population of 65 adult (20 females and 45 males, aged 57.84±12.28 years) hemodialysis (4.78±3.62 years) patients were investigated. The total time of test solving was correlated with Dialysis Malnutrition Score (DMS) in tests of simple visual discrimination of signal location (r=0.215, P=0.042), simple convergent visual orientation (r=0.262, P=0.020), and convergent thinking (r=0.244, P=0.034). The minimum time of test solving was also correlated with DMS in the test of simple convergent visual orientation (r=0.227, P=0.038), and in the test of convergent thinking (r=0.223, P=0.048). Total ballast, as a descriptor of stability in reaction time, was correlated with DMS in the test of simple visual discrimination of signal location (r=0.281, P=0.012), and in a test of short term memory actualization (r=0.239, P=0.028). Furthermore, significant correlation was noted between body mass index, serum creatinine, total cholesterol and albumin level with cognitive-psychomotor performance. Hemodialysis patients with a poorer nutritional status performed worse on cognitive and psychomotor tests. Further research is needed to assess the effects of treating malnutrition on cognitive-psychomotor performance in these patients.