Abstract
Background: Haemodialysis has a considerable impact on health related quality of
life. Haemodialysis alters the life style of the patients and their families and interfere
with their lives. It's important to assess QoL of patients on haemodialysis and
determine factors that alter the QoL. Aim of the work: The aim of this study was to
assess QoL of patients on regular haemodialysis and determine some factors that
affect the QoL. Patients and methods: This cross sectional hospital based study
targeted a total coverage of patients in haemodialysis unit at Sohag University
Hospital (198 patients) from September 2014 to December 2015 using KDQOL-SFTM
instrument. Results: Total number of the studied patients was 198. The mean age was
48.8 years and the mean duration of dialysis was 4.19 years, most participants were
males (64.1%), married (73.3%), illiterate (53%), unemployed (82.3%), and rural
residents (77.8%), their monthly income ranged from 200-500 LE (48.5%). The most
affected aspect was physical health component (PCS) which recorded the lowest
scores, followed by mental component score (MCS) followed by kidney disease
component summary (KDS) (95.28, 46.15, 90.04 consecutively). PCS, MCS, KDS
scores were statistically significantly higher in male gender, employed, higher family
income and higher level of education. Scores were insignificantly affected by marital
status. Conclusion: Quality of life of patients on haemodialysis at Sohag University
Hospital was impaired especially in the physical and mental component. Female
gender, older age, longer duration of dialysis, low level of education, un employment
and low family income leads to impaired quality of life. Much attention should be
paid to improve physical and psychological aspects of the patients.