Dialysis disequilibrium syndrome is a neurologic complication that occurs during or afterdialysistreatment. As fluid and toxins are removed from the body with dialysis, physiological changes which can induce a number of neurological symptoms begin to occur. The symptoms can vary from mild ones like headache to the most severe forms where patients can develop coma, oreven death. Here is anon-inclusive list of symptoms:

Science Photo Library / Getty Images

Kidney dialysis

Causes

Risk Factors

Fortunately, dialysis disequilibrium syndrome is a relatively rare entity and its incidence continues to drop. This has been thought to be due to the fact that patients are now initiated on dialysis at a muchlower concentration of ureain the blood.

Here are some situations when a patient could be considered high risk for development of dialysis disequilibrium syndrome:

Prevention

Since dialysis disequilibrium syndrome is thought to be related to rapid removal of toxins (urea) and fluid from the newly dialyzed patient, certain preventive measures might be helpful. Identifying the high-risk patient, as mentioned above, is the first step. Beyond that, there are certain strategies that might help:

Treatment

Treatment is mostly symptomatic. Nausea and vomiting can be treated medically using medications like ondansetron. If seizures ever happen, the typical recommendation is to stop dialysis and initiate antiseizure medications. The intensity and the aggressiveness of dialysis might need to be reduced for future treatments.

SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Dialysis Disequilibrium Syndrome Revisited. ishd.org.145 Dialysis Disequilibrium Syndrome. The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne.Zepeda-orozco D, Quigley R. Dialysis disequilibrium syndrome. Pediatr Nephrol. 2012;27(12):2205-11.

Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Dialysis Disequilibrium Syndrome Revisited. ishd.org.145 Dialysis Disequilibrium Syndrome. The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne.Zepeda-orozco D, Quigley R. Dialysis disequilibrium syndrome. Pediatr Nephrol. 2012;27(12):2205-11.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Dialysis Disequilibrium Syndrome Revisited. ishd.org.145 Dialysis Disequilibrium Syndrome. The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne.Zepeda-orozco D, Quigley R. Dialysis disequilibrium syndrome. Pediatr Nephrol. 2012;27(12):2205-11.

Dialysis Disequilibrium Syndrome Revisited. ishd.org.

145 Dialysis Disequilibrium Syndrome. The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne.

Zepeda-orozco D, Quigley R. Dialysis disequilibrium syndrome. Pediatr Nephrol. 2012;27(12):2205-11.

Meet Our Medical Expert Board

Share Feedback

Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit

What is your feedback?