Publications by authors named "B C van Jaarsveld"

Rationale & Objective: Spousal caregivers participate extensively in the care of patients with kidney failure. Although previous studies suggested that these caregivers experience a high burden, a comprehensive understanding of the determinants of this burden and strategies to alleviate it are needed. Therefore, this study sought to explore the contributing and alleviating determinants of burden in spousal caregivers of patients with kidney failure.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Patients with kidney failure undergoing dialysis often suffer from anemia. Iron deficiency, along with a shortage in erythropoietin, is a common cause. Peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients may have a different iron metabolism compared to hemodialysis (HD) patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Informal caregivers play a crucial role in dialysis care but may experience significant burden, potentially affecting both caregiver and patient outcomes. Research on caregiver burden and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and the relation to patient-reported outcomes (PROs) is lacking. Therefore, we aimed to (i) describe informal caregivers' experienced burden and HRQoL and (ii) investigate how these are related to dialysis patients' HRQoL and symptoms.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Pruritus, or itchiness, is commonly experienced by dialysis patients and linked to lower quality of life and sleep issues, but the reasons behind it and effective treatments are still not well understood.
  • A study of 1,438 new dialysis patients showed that around 50.5% to 56.6% experienced pruritus within the first year, with 35% having persistent itching and only a small percentage receiving treatment; emollients even worsened the severity.
  • Overall, pruritus negatively impacted both physical and mental health-related quality of life, indicating a significant need for better awareness and development of treatment options for affected patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) experience more fatigue, anxiety, and depressive symptoms and lower concentration and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) compared with the general population. Anemia is a potential cause that is well-recognized and treated. Iron deficiency, however, is often unrecognized, despite its potential detrimental effects related to and unrelated to anemia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF