EVALUACIÓN DE LA CALIDAD DE VIDA EN PACIENTES EN HEMODIÁLISIS CRÓNICA CON EL CUESTIONARIO KIDNEY DISEASE QUALITY OF LIFE (KDQOL-36)

Background : The Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients on chronic hemodialysis (CHD) is an important issue affecting mortality, morbidity outcomes and treatment compliance . Aim : To assess and to quantify the HRQOL in a group of patients on CHD, identifying the effect of biomedical and social-demography variables. Patients and methods : A cross-sectional multicenter study was carried out with 224 patients from five CHD units (3 privates and 2 publics) in BioBio Region , using the KDQOL-36 questionnaire and the scale of Karnofsky. The scores oscillate from 0 to 100, with higher values representing better HRQOL. Results : The KDQOL-36 scores Physical and Mental Component Summary and Symptoms, the Effect and the Burden of kidney disease subscales had smaller scores than 50 (referential value), in 80%, 61%, 8%, 43% and 80% of the evaluations, respectively. The lower scores were observed in patients with diabetes, coronary disease, hypoalbuminemia, creatininemia under 9.4 mg/dL, age ? 55 years and in those with low economic and educational levels (p Conclusions : The measurement of the CVRS in HDC patiens showed values below the referential score, mainly in patients with comorbidity, poor nutrition and low educational and socioeconomic conditions. The incorporation of support professionals, such as social workers, psychologists, dieticians , covering these psychosocial factors associated to the disease, could improve quality of life of the patients. The evaluation of the psychometric properties of the KDQOL-36 questionnaire showed good reliable and validity to be used in patients in dialysis.