ABSTRACT
We evaluated the quality of life of 101 hemodialysis patients who had a late (( 3 months before starting dialysis, N=47) or early (( 6 months), N= 54) diagnosis of chronic renal failure. At the time of the survey patients had been stable on dialysis for at least 3 months and for less than 24 months; median duration of dialysis was 9.1 months. Quality of life was measured by the kidney disease questionnaire (including the intensity and duration of physical symptoms, fatigue, depression, relationship with others and frustation), the health and life satisfaction indices, functional status (Karnofsky scale), and the time trade-off method. Scores for the several indicators of quality of life were closely similar for the late and early diagnosis groups. Health satisfaction compared to one year prior to dialysis was slighly better for the early diagnosis group. For both groups, functional status was a little worse during the first year of dialysis than one year before its start. In the late diagnosis group, elderly patients and diabetics had more impairment in several dimensions assessed. In addition, in this group greater income was significantly correlated with better physical performance (r = 0.52, P<0.001) and with health satisfaction (r = 0.36, P= 0.027). These findings suggest that after a median duration of 9 months on a dialysis program, patients with a late and early diagnosis of chronic renal failure have a similar performance in terms of quality of life parameters. Age, diabetes and income are associated with the quality of life of pataients with a late diagnosis.