A Study of Quality of Life of Patients on Regular Haemodialysis at Sohag University Hospital 2015

Background: Haemodialysis has a considerable impact on health related quality of life. Haemodialysis alters the life style of the patients and their families and interfere with their lives. It's important to assess QoL of patients on haemodialysis and determine factors that alter the QoL. Aim of the work: The aim of this study was to assess QoL of patients on regular haemodialysis and determine some factors that affect the QoL. Patients and methods: This cross sectional hospital based study targeted a total coverage of patients in haemodialysis unit at Sohag University Hospital (198 patients) from September 2014 to December 2015 using KDQOL-SFTM instrument. Results: Total number of the studied patients was 198. The mean age was 48.8 years and the mean duration of dialysis was 4.19 years, most participants were males (64.1%), married (73.3%), illiterate (53%), unemployed (82.3%), and rural residents (77.8%), their monthly income ranged from 200-500 LE (48.5%). The most affected aspect was physical health component (PCS) which recorded the lowest scores, followed by mental component score (MCS) followed by kidney disease component summary (KDS) (95.28, 46.15, 90.04 consecutively). PCS, MCS, KDS scores were statistically significantly higher in male gender, employed, higher family income and higher level of education. Scores were insignificantly affected by marital status. Conclusion: Quality of life of patients on haemodialysis at Sohag University Hospital was impaired especially in the physical and mental component. Female gender, older age, longer duration of dialysis, low level of education, un employment and low family income leads to impaired quality of life. Much attention should be paid to improve physical and psychological aspects of the patients.