[Knowledge and quality of life in chronic kidney disease and peritoneal dialysis]

Knowledge of one's own chronic kidney disease (CKD) can improve long-term quality of life (QoL). Peritoneal dialysis presents with residual symptoms that reduce the QoL.

To correlate knowledge of the disease and QoL in patients with CKD and on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD).

A descriptive, cross-sectional, and prospective study was carried out in patients with CKD treated at a second-level hospital of the Mexican Institute for Social Security (Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social) in Puebla. SF-36 and KiKS questionnaires were applied. Age, sex, education, marital status, perception of QoL, and level of knowledge were recorded. Descriptive statistics and Spearman's coefficient were used.

199 patients with CKD in CAPD were included, 62.8% women, minimum age range was 18 to 20 years with 4% and maximum of 61 years or more with 49.2%, 35.6% of patients completed primary school, and 65.3% were married. The most frequent comorbidity was diabetes (57.2%). The least affected QoL domain was pain. KiKS recorded a mean of 0.54 (regular knowledge about the disease). It was recorded a weak and significant correlation in the QoL domains: physical health, physical role, pain, general health, mental health (p ≤ 0.05).

There is a significant but weak correlation between the perception of QoL and the level of knowledge of the disease in CKD patients with CAPD.