Externally oriented thinking predicts phosphorus levels in dialyzed patients

Background. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between alexithymia scores and biological markers of adherence in dialyzed patients. The hypothesis was that higher scores of alexithymia would be associated with lower adherence to treatment. Methods. Fifty-four adult dialyzed patients were enrolled during a follow-up visit. Participants were asked to complete a self-report questionnaire, namely, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Moreover, biological markers levels of adherence to treatment (phosphorus, creatinine, and serum uric acid) were measured. Results. A positive correlation was found between phosphorous levels and TAS-F2 (r = 0.28; P = .04) and TAS-F3 (r = -0.31; P = .02). Stepwise regression with TAS-F2 and TAS-F3 as predictors of adherence to treatment showed a significant model, adjusted R-2 = 0.08, F(1,52) = 5.4; P < .02, where only TAS-F3 was able to predict phosphorous levels (P =.02).