Independent risk factors for thirst in hemodialysis patients: female sex, sodium profiling dialysis, and xerostomia.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the risk factors for thirst in hemodialysis patients. METHODS: A total of 198 hemodialysis patients were enrolled in this retrospective study. Participants were categorized into thirst (n = 157) and non-thirst (n = 41) groups based on Dialysis Thirst Inventory (DTI) scores. Comparative assessments included demographics (age, gender, dry weight, eating habits), vital signs (pre-dialysis systolic/diastolic blood pressure [SBP/DBP], heart rate), and clinical factors (dialysis vintage, diabetes, pre-dialysis serum sodium levels, use of sodium profiling, Xerostomia Inventory [XI] scores, and interdialytic weight gain [IDWG]). Binary logistic regression identified key factors associated with thirst. The groups were also evaluated for emotional distress, treatment adherence, satisfaction, sleep quality, and overall quality of life. RESULTS: Thirsty patients were more likely to be female, undergo sodium profiling, and have high XI scores (≥23) compared to non-thirsty patients (all P<0.05). Regression analysis confirmed that female sex, sodium profiling, and xerostomia were independent predictors of thirst (all P<0.05). Thirsty patients also reported greater emotional distress, lower treatment adherence, reduced satisfaction with therapy, poorer sleep quality, and diminished quality of life (all P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Thirst in hemodialysis patients is independently associated with being female, sodium profiling, and xerostomia. Increased thirst severity correlates with worsened emotional distress, lower therapy adherence, reduced treatment satisfaction, and impaired sleep and life quality.