QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG PATIENTS AT VARIOUS STAGES OF CKD

Abstract

The present study explored quality of life among patients of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) at various stage of the disease. CKD is a progressively degenerative disease in which kidney function deteriorates leading to End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) or renal failure. CKD, being among the leading health problem internationally, affects 1 in 7 American adults. Internationally CKD is estimated to have 13.4% prevalence. Sample of the current study comprises of 620 patients (males = 310, females = 310) of all five stages of CKD from CDK I to ESRD. A self constructed demographic form was used to take basic information from the patients. WHO Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) was administered to assess the quality of life of the patients and Salma Siddiqui Depression Scale (SSDS) was used to assess depression level across various stages of CKD. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was applied to analyze the data. Results indicated that stages of CKD had significant impact on QOL F(4, 305) = 13.25, p < .001, physical health domain F(4, 305) = 6.18, p < .001, psychological health domain F(4, 305) = 13.21, p < .001, social health domain F(4, 305) = 16.73, p < .001, environment domain F(4, 305) = 15.63, p < .001 of the patients. Moreover, it was found that QOL was better among patients with CKD I. Keywords: Chronic Kidney Disease, End Stage Renal Dysfunction, Quality of Life, Depression, Health-Related QOL, Glomerulus Filtration Rate.