Association of anemia, muscle strength, physical performance and inflammation in hemodialysis
Anemia, Sarcopenia, Renal failure, Inflammation
Anemia is considered one of the main complications of chronic kidney disease. This study investigated the association of anemia with muscle strength, physical performance and inflammation. It was an analytical cross-sectional observational study with 128 hemodialysis patients, of both sexes, aged 18 years or older and on dialysis for at least 6 months. The patients underwent the gait speed test and the handgrip test, in addition to the collection of inflammatory markers (interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor and C-reactive protein). In this study, 62.5% were male, with a mean age of 58.4 ± 14.6 years, 47.7% were elderly and 89.9% were hypertensive. Anemia was considered as a dependent variable and was categorized according to the indication for the use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (Hb <10 g/dL), 54.7% of the participants had anemia. The comparison of the groups with and without anemia with muscle strength, physical performance and risk of sarcopenia showed no significant association. However, when considering the parameters with greater power to explain anemia in the multivariate adjustment, the elevation of interleukin-6 was considered a risk factor and muscle strength a protective factor for anemia. The importance of these findings contributes to the search for more targeted treatments regarding inflammatory control, in addition to encouraging the performance of physical activity in chronic renal dialysis patients.