Health-related quality of life factor in chronic hemodialysis patients

The purpose of this study was to investigate the related factors of the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measured by KDQOL-SF version 1.3 Japanese version) in chronic hemodialysis patients. Using a cross-sectional survey design, we hand-delivered a self-administered questionnaire to the chronic hemodialysis patients and finally obtained 67 subjects' data to analyze. The response rate was 65.7%. Among the related factors, disease/dialysis-related factors and rehabilitation-related factors in addition to demographic factors were examined. The HRQOL was divided into a physical component summary (PCS) and a mental component summary (MCS). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the independent factors related to PCS were symptom score, serum albumin level, patients' satisfaction with dialysis care, and the work status. These four factors could explain 60% of PCS variance (adjusted R2 = 0.601). The independent factors related to MCS were revealed to be quality of social interaction and understanding of effectiveness of self-exercise. These two factors could explain only a quarter of MCS variance (adjusted R 2 = 0.223). These results suggest that highly satisfactory care of dialysis, improvement of dialysis-related symptoms, and good nutritional management are important for improving HRQOL in chronic hemodialysis patients, and that the promotion of social participation and interpersonal relationships as well as a positive attitude to self-exercise may lead to a beneficial outcome of rehabilitation for chronic hemodialysis patients.