Quality of life and its correlates in ambulatory hemodialysis patients

Background: In hemodialysis patients, quality of life (QOL) may vary across a range of individual conditions and social environments. In this study, we focused on ambulatory hemodialysis patients, examining their QOL compared with that of age-matched controls. Correlates of QOL in ambulatory hemodialysis patients were also examined. Methods: QOL was evaluated by WHOQOL in ambulatory hemodialysis patients and age-matched controls. Correlations of QOL with age, sex, body mass index (BMI), functional performance, physical activity, cognitive function, psychiatric disorders, diabetes status, comorbidities, duration of dialysis therapy, adequacy of dialysis, biochemical variables and nutritional status were also examined in ambulatory hemodialysis patients. Results: In WHOQOL, we found decreased psychological domain scores (19.8 vs. 21.6, p=0.012) and overall QOL (89.0 vs. 94.3, p=0.035) for ambulatory hemodialysis patients compared with age-matched controls, especially in the items: enjoying life (p=0.032), feeling life has meaning (p=0.023), having opportunity to take leisure time (p=0.003) and being satisfied with sexual life (p=0.044). Patients with male sex, BMI >24 and duration of dialysis shorter than 5 years had lower overall QOL than controls. Male dialysis patients also had lower QOL than female patients. As for correlates of QQL in ambulatory hemodialysis patients, age, BMI and psychiatric disorders were negatively correlated. By contrast, premorbid and current satisfaction with personal health were positively correlated. Conclusions: QOL in ambulatory hemodialysis patients was lower than in age-matched controls. QOL in ambulatory hemodialysis patients was positively correlated with personal health satisfaction and negatively correlated with age, BMI and psychiatric disorders.