Frequency of Intradialytic Hypotension Seen in Nutritional Changes Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Chronic Hemodialysis Patients: A Retrospective Study

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the frequency of intradialytic hypotension (IDH) in chronic hemodialysis patients following changes made in the nutritional protocol during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) epidemic. Material and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted with 30 patients who received hemodialysis treatment in a dialysis unit before and during the pandemic periods (2019-2020). The dates December 2019 before the pandemic and December 2020 after the pandemic were selected. Laboratory parameters recorded during patient follow-up were evaluated. Paired sample t-test, Wilcoxon and correlation test were used to evaluate the data. Results: The mean age of the patients participating in the study was 62.60±17.79, and 66.7% were male. There was a significant difference between the frequency of IDH in patients before the pandemic (3.24±2.93) and during the pandemic period (4.55±3.36) (p<0.05). There were significant differences in systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressure values, serum urea, creatinine, hemoglobin, and bicarbonate the pre-pandemic and pandemic one-month periods (p<0.05). Furthermore, there was a positive and significant correlation between the amount of ultrafiltration and the frequency of IDH during the COVID-19 pandemic (r=0.446, p<0.05). Conclusion: The increased frequency of IDH in patients receiving hemodialysis treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with non-adherence to their diets.