Wcn24-2273 Cognitive Impairment in Dialysis Patients in Northen Gauteng Province, South Africa

Chronic kidney disease results in cognitive impairment.1 Cognitive impairment is a major cause of morbidity in people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and is associated with poor survival. The pattern of cognitive impairment in CKD is still not clear. With dialysis, CKD-related cognitive impairment is at least partially reversible (with the domains of orientation, attention and memory showing significant improvement). All domains show improvement with renal transplantation.2 Previous studies indicated that haemodialysis patients are at increased risk of cognitive impairment because of their older age, low level of education, and a high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors.3 We have previously shown a low 30% adherence rate in our chronic dialysis program at Steve Biko Academic Hospital, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa.4 We postulated that cognitive impairment might be a significant contributory factor to sub-optimal patient centered decision-making and self-management of CKD.