Status of water-soluble vitamins and neurological disorders in dialysis patients

The deficit of vitamins in patients receiving the long-term hemodialysis is discussed in the modern literature. Vitamin deficiency in a dialysis patient can be explained by the peculiarity of the diet recommendations, the need to take a number of medications, impaired absorption of vitamins in the digestive tract, poor appetite, uremic anorexia, depression, limited ability to buy and cook food, as well as losses of vitamins during the procedure of program hemodialysis. An analytical review of current (2011 and later) publications containing a comprehensive analysis of data on the status of water-soluble vitamins and its role in the development of neurological disorders in dialysis patients is provided. There is a high risk of deficiency of various water soluble vitamins and neurological disorders, such as vitamin B₁ deficiency and thiamine deficiency encephalopathy and polyneuropathy, vitamin B₆ deficiency and pyridoxine deficiency polyneuropathy, folic acid metabolism disorders, as well as vitamin B₁₂ and the development of hyperhomocysteinemia, cognitive and depressive disorders, strokes, restless legs syndrome and dialysis polyneuropathy among the patients with end-stage chronic kidney disease and program hemodialysis. Vitamin C deficiency and the development of severe asthenic syndrome with insomnia and depression are described in dialysis patients. It seems necessary to revise the traditional nutritional approaches to the dialysis patients based on the analysis of the literature. Special attention is paid to the possible addition of such water-soluble vitamins as B₁, B₆, B₉, B₁₂ and C. Timely diagnosis of vitamin deficiency conditions and neurological disorders in patients on program hemodialysis, the development of methods for their correction and their introduction into clinical practice would improve the life expectancy and quality of life of dialysis patients.