Health related quality of life in 2002 and 2015 in patients undergoing hemodialysis: a single center study

Health related quality of life (HRQOL) has become a recognized outcome in studies of the treatment of patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). The aim of this study was to assess changes in HRQOL reported by two different samples of patients undergoing HD in the same dialysis center in 2002 and 2015. Two samples of patients from the same Danish dialysis center completed the HRQOL questionnaire Kidney Disease Quality of Life version 1.3 in 2002 (n = 71) and 2015 (n = 81), respectively. The associations between KDQOL summery scores and the time frame were analyzed in multivariable regression analyses. The 2015 sample of patients were older compared to the 2002 sample (66 ± 13 vs. 59 ± 16 years, p = 0.003, respectively), they comprised more obese patients (20.6 vs. 3.2%, p = 0.002) and more patients with hypoalbuminemia (66.7 vs. 42.9%, p = 0.006). After confounder adjustment the time period 2015 versus 2002 was not associated with changes in the generic summery scales Physical Component Scale (β 3.9, 95% CI <-0.1; 7.9, p = 0.051) and Mental Component Scale (β -2.5, 95% CI -7.6; 2.5, p = 0.322) or the disease specific summery scale Kidney Disease Component Scale (β 1.0, 95% CI -5.1; 7.1, p = 0.746). This study indicated an unchanged HRQOL when recent data were compared with data collected 13 years earlier in patients undergoing HD from a Danish dialysis center. We suggest that the included dialysis center monitor HRQOL and pay attention on interventions that may be associated with improvements of HRQOL and reduce the elevated frequency of patients with obesity or hypoalbuminemia.