Quality of life and its predictors among patients with chronic kidney disease: A hospital-based cross sectional study

Introduction Quality of life (QoL) is increasingly being considered as an important measure of how disease affects patients' lives, especially for long-term diseases like chronic kidney disease (CKD). Even though there is no statistically significant association between stages of CKD and QoL, it is decreased in patients with early stages of the disease. Hence, this study aimed to assess QoL and its predictors among patients with CKD at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital (TASH). Methods A cross sectional study was conducted at the nephrology clinic of TASH. A total of 256 patients were recruited through systematic random sampling. Data were collected using the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36-Items (SF-36). The data were entered into Epi Info 7.2.2.2 and analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 statistical software. Descriptive statistics like frequency, percent, mean and standard deviation were used to summarize patients' baseline characteristics. Student's unpaired t-test and ANOVA were conducted to compare two groups and more than two groups in the analysis of QoL, respectively. Multivariable linear regression was employed to investigate the potential predictors of QoL. Results Quality of life was decreased in all stages of CKD. A reduction in physical functioning (p = 0.03), bodily pain (p = 0.004), vitality (p = 0.019) and social functioning (p = 0.002) was observed progressively across stages of CKD. High income status and greater than 11g/dl hemoglobin level were found to be predictors of all high score SF-36 domains. High family income (beta 15.33; 95% CI: 11.33-19.33, p<0.001), higher educational status (beta 7.9; 95% CI: 4.10-11.66, p<0.001), and hemoglobin. 11g/dl (beta 8.36; 95% CI: 6.31-10.41, p<0.001) were predictors of better QoL in the physical component summary, whereas absence of CKD complications (beta 2.75; 95% CI: 0.56-4.94, p = 0.014), high family income (beta 10.10; 95% CI: 5.10-15.10, p<0.001) and hemoglobin. >= 11g/dl (beta 4.54, 95% CI: 2.01-7.08, p = 0.001) were predictors of better QoL in the mental component summary. Conclusion In this setting, QoL decreased in CKD patients in the early stages of the disease. Study participants with low income and hemoglobin level were considered to have worse quality of life in both physical and mental component summaries.