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A New Approach to the Early Detection of Dialysis Encephalopathy
Author(s) -
BARRON JANE,
WHITELEY SUSAN J.,
HORN ANDREW C.,
RALSTON ANTHONY R.,
ACKRILL PETER
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
international journal of language and communication disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.101
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1460-6984
pISSN - 1368-2822
DOI - 10.3109/13682828009011374
Subject(s) - dialysis , encephalopathy , psychology , intensive care medicine , medicine , psychiatry
Summary Speech disorders are prominent and early signs of Dialysis Encephalopathy. A speech screening assessment was devised by two Speech Therapists to detect various abnormalities of speech and mental function, and 60 patients on chronic haemodialysis for between 2–11 years were entered into the study. A retrospective and prospective study of the aluminium content of the dialysis water supply was undertaken. Abnormalities of speech and mentation were found in 22 patients, 14 of these were considered to be severe, but in only five of these was this appreciated prior to formal assessment. Improvement has been demonstrated in seven since the installation of a deioniser to remove aluminium from the water supply. The distinctive speech abnormalities were found only in those patients receiving water with a high aluminium content. The implications of the results of this study are discussed in detail in this paper.