Nutritional Awareness, Dietary Practices, and Biochemical Profiles Among Hemodialysis Patients in Omdurman, Sudan

Abstract

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an emerging national health issue that frequently progresses to end-stage renal diseases (ESRD), which requires maintenance hemodialysis. Best nutrition is central to better clinical outcomes among such patients. However, in resource strained environments like Sudan, lack of appropriate nutritional awareness and access to organized dietary guidance is counterproductive to proper management.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the nutrition awareness, eating habits and the biochemical analyses of patients under hemodialysis in Omdurman, Sudan. Also, it addressed how adherence to dietary recommendations was affected by socio-demographic and clinical determinants.

Methods: A cross-sectional study based in the facility was carried out in the Friendship and Ombada Model Hospitals during September-December 2022. All eligible hemodialysis patients were used to gather data through structured questionnaires and analyzed under SPSS version 20. To summarize and interpret the findings, descriptive statistics and frequency distributions were used.

Results: 100 participants were involved in the study (64% men, 40% older than 50 years). Most of them claimed low/moderate levels of income (98 per cent) and poor levels of education with almost half of them (49 per cent) having undergone only preschool education. The leading comorbidity (91%) was hypertension. Despite the 3 out of 4 indicating compliance with dietary prescriptions and 59% having some kind of nutrition related education, significant shortcomings were noted especially in practicing sodium regulation, knowledge of food labels, and avoiding soft drinks. The biochemical tests revealed an increased level of serum phosphate (59) and creatinine (97). Only 42 percent were of normal BMI with 45 percent being underweight. In addition, the dietary consumption was also noted with low intake of fruits, vegetables, and legumes, as well as irregular protein intake.

Conclusion: In this research, the lack of nutritional awareness and adherence to a specific diet among patients under hemodialysis is significantly emphasized in Sudan. McNeely et al. (2017) state that the targeted nutrition education, dietary counseling, and coordinated multidisciplinary interventions should be employed urgently to improve patient outcomes and the general quality of life among this high-risk population.