The Effect of Muscle Cramps During Hemodialysis on Quality of Life and Habitual Physical Activity

<i>Background and Objectives</i>: This study aimed to evaluate the association between QoL, self-assessed physical activity, and the presence and severity of muscle spasms in chronic hemodialysis patients. Patients undergoing regular in-center hemodialysis (HD) have much lower quality of life (QoL) than healthy individuals. However, there is limited knowledge about the impact of specific common complications of hemodialysis, particularly muscle spasms on the overall well-being of patients. <i>Materials and Methods</i>: In this prospective, single-center study, 67 chronic HD patients were surveyed regarding the prevalence of muscle spasms using a validated 9-multiple-choice-question survey, alongside the Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and The Short Form (36) Health Survey (SF-36). Based on the muscle spasms survey answers, patients were divided into two subgroups: with (<i>n</i> = 39) and without muscle spasms (<i>n</i> = 28). <i>Results</i>: The findings revealed that patients with muscle spasms had a higher body mass index (BMI) (<i>p</i> = 0.005), a shorter dialysis vintage (<i>p</i> = 0.063), and significantly longer sitting times (<i>p</i> = 0.017). Multivariate analysis identified BMI (<i>p</i> = 0.034), sitting time (<i>p</i> = 0.009), physical functioning scores (<i>p</i> = 0.032), and dialysis vintage (<i>p</i> = 0.040) as significant predictors of muscle spasms. <i>Conclusions:</i> This study concluded that muscle spasms are associated with lower QoL among HD patients. The contributing factors to this dependance are BMI, dialysis vintage, physical functioning, and sitting time.