Muscle cramping is an especially bothersome symptom in patients receiving dialysis, regardless of modality. Evidence suggests that hemodialysis (in-center, home peritoneal) patients feel that muscle cramping should be a priority area for the development of new treatments. Currently, there is only a single question on the KDQOL survey addressing muscle cramping.

A Kidney Health Initiative project was launched to define a set of patient-reported outcome measures that could be used in future clinical trials to evaluate kidney replacement therapy devices as well as medications. Through literature analyses and focus group discussions, a conceptual framework of standardized, patient-endorsed definitions of skeletal muscle cramping was developed.