Health-related quality of life of predialysis patients with chronic renal failure.
BACKGROUND
Health-related quality of life (HQOL) of predialysis patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) has received less attention than that of dialysis patients. We investigated changes in SF-36 over 1 year and examined associations between clinical parameters and SF-36 in predialysis CRF patients.


METHODS
Subjects were 471 predialysis CRF patients. SF-36 and clinical parameters were measured every 8 weeks for 48 weeks. Of the 471 subjects, 294 underwent one or more follow-ups. We analyzed the pooled dataset of the 294 CRF patients and 2002 subjects from Japanese general population using analysis of covariance.


RESULTS
After adjustment for age and sex, the 1-year declines in SF-36 domains were significantly greater in the predialysis patients than in the general population. For a 10% decline in hematocrit from the baseline survey value, the decline in vitality of SF-36 was 4.5 points (p = 0.003), while for a 10% increase in serum creatinine from the baseline survey value, respective declines in physical functioning, role-physical and mental health were 1.2 (p = 0.004), 1.9 (p = 0.035), and 1.0 points (p = 0.008).


CONCLUSIONS
Among these predialysis CRF patients, the decline in HQOL was faster than that in the general population, and was associated with an increase in serum creatinine and decline in hematocrit.
Fukuhara
Shunichi
S
Graduate School of Medicine and Public Health, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
Yamazaki
Shin
S
Marumo
Fumiaki
F
Akiba
Takashi
T
Akizawa
Tadao
T
Fujimi
Satoru
S
Haruki
Shigekazu
S
Kawaguchi
Yoshindo
Y
Nihei
Hiroshi
H
Shoji
Takao
T
Maeda
Teiryou
T
D017281:Cost of Illness; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D006435:Renal Dialysis
D003404:Creatinine