Effect of Climatic Temperature on Fluid Gain in Hemodialysis Patients with Different Degrees of Overhydration

Background: To assess the effect of seasonal temperature on the interdialytic body weight gain (ΔBW), %ΔBW/dry weight (DW), and pre-dialysis blood pressure in chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients with different degrees of overhydration. Method: Year 2005 was divided into two seasons: ‘cold’ (the coolest 5 months) and ‘hot’ (the hottest 5 months). A total of 221 end-stage renal disease patients treated with HD at our center throughout the year 2005 were enrolled. Results: ΔBW showed a reversed trend to the water evaporation rate, which paralleled temperature change. Increases of ΔBW and %ΔBW/DW in cold weather were more significant in non-diabetes mellitus than diabetes mellitus. Only patients in the bottom two quartiles for %ΔBW/DW in hot weather (i.e., Conclusion: A cold weather-induced increase in fluid accumulation occurs in only those patients with less hypervolemia during the hot season.