Dialysis disequilibrium syndrome (DDS) is the collection of neurological signs and symptoms, attributed to cerebral edema, during or following shortly after intermittent hemodialysis[1] or CRRT.

[2] Classically, DDS arises in individuals starting hemodialysis due to end-stage chronic kidney disease and is associated, in particular, with "aggressive" (high solute removal) dialysis.

[1] More recent studies on rats noted that brain concentrations of organic osmolytes were not increased relative to baseline after rapid dialysis.

Cerebral edema was thus attributed to osmotic effects related to a high urea gradient between plasma and brain.

[4] Clinical signs of cerebral edema, such as focal neurological deficits, papilledema[5] and decreased level of consciousness, if temporally associated with recent hemodialysis, suggest the diagnosis.