title: Social diagnosis of chronic kidney disease patients in preparation for living donor renal transplantation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The relationship between socioeconomic status and clinical outcome in health and disease is complex and multifactorial. An association between low socioeconomic status and shorter patient survival in renal replacement therapy, dialysis, and transplantation, has been reported, implicating individual and environmental factors. We sought to analyze the socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients in preparation for living kidney transplantation.
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated 60 patients with CKD-V, on hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis and who were being prepared in our public service between July 2008 and January 2010. Socioeconomic data were collected from the records.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age was 44.8 ± 13.3 years and 51% were male. Sixty-three percent were married, most of them with children, with a family size of 3.5 ± 1.45 members. They were taken a mean of 5.8 ± 2.8 drugs; only half of them were dispensed by public health insurance. Almost all--93%--did not work regularly, and the majority reported some limitation in daily activities. The mean monthly income was US $1,535.70 and 76.2% reported a monthly income ≤ US $1,810.60. The mean of school years was 7.91 ± 4.19.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Low-income patients are gaining access to preparing for renal transplantation; we believe that is inherent to the universal structure of Brazil's public health system. Besides the low income, this population showed a considerable educational level, suggesting this characteristic made the patient more active to search the living transplant as an alternative for their CKD treatment. Knowledge about social status is essential for design strategies in minimizing its potential undesirable effects after transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Renal Transplantation Unit, Division of Nephrology, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Tirapani
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.forename: E O
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Marsicano
authors.forename: L S S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Braga
authors.forename: F R S
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Grincenkov
authors.forename: S T C
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: da Silveira
authors.forename: R O
authors.initials: RO
authors.lastname: Dalamura
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Bastos
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sanders-Pinheiro
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D019520:Living Donors; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010530:Peritoneal Dialysis; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D051436:Renal Insufficiency, Chronic / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors