Association Between Constipation and Frailty in Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study

Among patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis (MHD), constipation and frailty are not only common but also associated with adverse clinical outcomes. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between constipation and frailty in this population.

This cross-sectional study included patients receiving MHD three times per week in China from November 2023 to November 2024. Rome IV criteria and Fried Frailty Phenotype scale were applied to evaluate constipation and frailty respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was utilized to analyze the correlation between constipation and frailty.

Among the 207 enrolled MHD patients (mean age 58.6 ± 14.7 years; 78 females; median hemodialysis vintage 38.4 months), 100 (48.3%) were diagnosed with constipation and 63 (30.4%) with frailty. After adjusting for clinical characteristics, constipation was associated with frailty (OR: 7.61, 95% CI: 2.74-21.13). Among the five frailty components, slow gait speed (OR: 2.90, 95% CI: 1.20-7.00) and low physical activity (OR: 3.51, 95% CI: 1.15-10.74) were independently associated with constipation.

Frailty is independently associated with constipation in MHD patients. It is important to highlight the significance of monitoring the frailty among MHD patients with constipation.