The most commonly noted type of headache is related to the dialysis disequilibrium syndrome (DDS) which remains an unproven cause to date. Most investigators believe that DDS is related to cerebral swelling after removing high levels of urea during dialysis and slowly compensated cerebral fluid shifts, which can lead to restlessness, cluster headaches, mental confusion and even coma.
However, headaches are not specific to DDS in people on dialysis and other causes may include hypertension (high blood pressure), hypotension (low blood pressure), high sodium intake, and a possible connection with low magnesium.
In rare cases severe headaches can be associated with other serious conditions so any recurring headaches should be taken seriously and brought to the attention of your Nephrologist to identify the precise cause.
Headache is only one of the problems with dialysis. Apart from headache, dialysis patients may also experience nausea or vomiting, fluid overload, muscle cramping, itching, nervous movements and blood leaks. With these problems, many kidney disease patients do not want to undergo dialysis and they want to seek an alternative way to help them live longer. The alternative therapy is Micro-Chinese Medicine Osmotherapy and they can have a try of it. It can help them delay dialysis or even stop dialysis.
