Prevalence of xerostomia in patients on haemodialysis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Haemodialysis is the most popular procedure of treating end-stage renal disease. But patients on haemodialysis report various symptoms including xerostomia that add to the physical as well as the psychological stress. Xerostomia is also considered to be one of the factors for interdialytic weight gain. This systematic review aims to find out the prevalence of xerostomia in patients on haemodialysis. The results would help the nephrologists to consider xerostomia, treat it appropriately and minimise the risks during haemodialysis.

METHODS

The search strategy was in line with the PRISMA guidelines. An online literature search of databases like PUBMED, SCOPUS, Wiley Online Library and the Cochrane library along with journal hand searches and scanning of references was done. The relevant articles were identified based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Full-text articles were obtained and scrutinised. Risk of bias assessment was carried out for the included articles.

RESULTS

Four articles satisfying the inclusion criteria were finalised. The pooled prevalence of xerostomia in patients on haemodialysis was 52.3%. The assessment of risk bias placed the articles at low risk.

CONCLUSION

With the limited number and variations of studies, the prevalence of xerostomia in haemodialysis patients was high. Ideal management approaches could be proposed if many more accurate estimates of prevalence of xerostomia in patients on haemodialysis are recorded in future.