title: Relationship between symptom clusters and quality of life in patients at stages 2 to 4 chronic kidney disease in Korea.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was conducted to identify the relationship between symptom clusters and quality of life (QOL) in patients with stages 2 to 4 chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Korea.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using self-reported questionnaires, data were collected from 143 patients who underwent treatment for CKD at one hospital in Korea. The 17-item Patient Outcome Scale was used to measure symptoms, and the 36-item Short Form Health Survey Instrument Version 2 (SF-36v2) was used to measure the QOL. Data were analyzed using factor analysis to draw symptom clusters.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among five symptom clusters, the energy insufficiency and pain cluster was found to have the highest prevalence and greatest severity. The severity of symptom clusters showed negative correlations with both physical and mental component summary (PCS and MCS) scores. Elderly patients scored low on PCS, whereas younger patients in their 30s and 40s scored low on MCS. Negative correlations were found between symptom clusters and PCS as well as MCS. The severity of symptoms and QOL had stronger relationships with subjective perception of symptoms and psychological factors than with objective clinical indicators.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As the effects of physical and psychological symptoms on the QOL in patients with stages 2 to 4 CKD were identified in this study, nurses should develop strategic nursing plans focused on symptom clusters and patients' subjective perception of symptoms rather than objective clinical indicators in order to improve the QOL in patients with CKD.
authors: Red Cross College of Nursing, Chung-Ang University (CAU), Seoul, South Korea. Electronic address: lsj1109@cau.ac.kr.
authors: Suk Jeong
authors: SJ
authors: Lee
authors: Nursing Department, Chung-Ang University (CAU), Seoul, South Korea. Electronic address: leesj702@gmail.com.
authors: JaeHee
authors: J
authors: Jeon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D051436:Renal Insufficiency, Chronic / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013577:Syndrome
keywords: Chronic kidney disease; Quality of life; Symptoms