Predicting quality of life in heaemodialysis patients

To document quality of life in haemodialysis patients and to determine predictive factors. Study Design: Cross sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Nephrology, Pak Emirates Military Hospital Rawalpindi, from Oct to Nov 2016. Material and Methods: Patients undergoing maintenance haemodialysis were selected by convenience sampling. Patients with acute kidney injury, those on infrequent HD, those on dialysis for less than three months and unwilling patients were excluded. Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short Form Version 1.3 was administered in direct face-to-face interviews. The effects of age, gender, level of education, duration on haemodialysis, smoking, marital status, frequency of dialysis per week, body mass index, presence of comorbid conditions, residence, availability of attendant, type of vascular access and household income on quality of life indices was studied. Results: There were a total of 109 patients, having a mean age of 50.22 ± 13.73 years. Out of these, 86 (78.90%) were males. Mean physical composite score, mental composite score and kidney disease component summary score were 33.41 ± 6.85, 46.10 ± 5.89 and 65.00 ± 6.11 respectively. Adequate physical composite score, mental composite score and kidney disease component summary score were attained by 8.26%, 22.94% and 49.54% patients respectively. A higher level of education predicted a higher mental composite score and a younger age predicted a better kidney disease component summary score. None of the factors studied could predict higher physical composite score. Conclusion: Haemodialysis patients had a poor quality of life. Older age and a lower level of education were best predictive factors in our patients.