OBJECTIVES: Hemodialysis is a procedure which causes fatigue to patients, as they have to undergo this treatment three times per week, 3-4 hours each time for the rest of their life. The objective of the study was to evaluate the degree of fatigue in patients with chronic renal failure undergoing hemodialysis treatment and the effect in patient’s quality of life.

METHODS: A cross sectional study was performed from January to February 2024. The research sample constituted by 101/110 (response rate: 91.8%) patients undergoing hemodialysis treatment in public units and living in the Western Greece, specifically in Patras, Pyrgos, Agrinio and Mesolongi. The study was conducted through the distribution of two questionnaires: the Greek version of Multidimentional Fatigue Inventory (MFI) and the Short Form Survey (SF-36).

RESULTS: Higher fatigue was recorded at the physical level (Mean:13.5), general level (Mean:12.5) and activity level (Mean:13.1) while lower levels of fatigue were noted in terms of vitality (Mean:9.8) and mental level (Mean:8.7). In terms of quality of life, better QoL was recorded in terms of physical pain (Mean: 73.1), social functioning (Mean: 63) and mental health (Mean: 58.6). Patients with more symptoms during or after hemodialysis had greater fatigue at the general (b=1.42, p<0,001), physical (b=1.21, p<0,001) and mental level (b=0.90, p<0,001) while they had reduced activity (b=1.12, p<0,001) and vitality (b=0.73, p<0,001). Additionally, patients' fatigue correlates with their quality of life as patients with less physical fatigue had better quality of life in terms of physical functioning, emotional role, mental health, vitality and general health while patients with less overall fatigue had better quality of life in terms of vitality and physical pain.

CONCLUSIONS: Early diagnosis and treatment of fatigue, will contribute to better functionality of the patients in various aspects of their life.