Quality of life for kidney transplant recipients and hemodialysis patients in Palestine: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundHealth related quality of life (HRQOL) is an important indicator of medical treatment and is a strong predictor of disability and mortality. The literature has shown mixed evidence about whether kidney transplantation improves HRQOL compared with other renal replacement modalities. The aim of this study was to compare the HRQOL in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) and hemodialysis (HD) patients.MethodsA cross-sectional study of 100 KTRs and 272 HD patients from two central kidney units in the West Bank, Palestine. The HRQOL was assessed using the Short Form-36 Health Survey. Multivariable linear regression was used to estimate differences in mean HRQOL scores between KTRs and HD patients.ResultsAs compared to HD patients, KTRs had higher clinically important HRQOL in main domains and subscales of the SF-36 including physical functioning, role-physical, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role-emotional, mental health, ranging between 15.5 for social functioning (95% Confidence Interval (CI) 10.1, 20.7) to 32.6 for general health (95% CI 24.0, 41.1).ConclusionsWe found that KTRs have better HRQOL than HD patients in physical and mental components of the SF-36 scale including physical functioning, role-physical, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role-emotional, and mental health. Further longitudinal research comparing HRQOL among KTRs and the general population may identify key modifiable factors associated with lower HRQOL among KTRs that are amenable to intervention.

Automated summary

This study compared the health related quality of life (HRQOL) between kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) and hemodialysis (HD) patients. The results showed that KTRs had significantly higher HRQOL scores in various domains and subscales of the SF-36 scale compared to HD patients, indicating better physical and mental health outcomes in KTRs. Further research is needed to identify modifiable factors associated with lower HRQOL in KTRs for intervention.