[Determinants of the quality of life in chronic renal failure]

Dialysis patients, waiting for kidney transplantation, were asked about their quality of life. Data from 1027 persons have been collected. Compared to a population sample by the "Nottingham Health Profile" (NHP), dialysis patients showed double the frequency of symptoms--only for the subscale "pain" no significant difference could be recognised. Duration of dialysis treatment reduces the quality of life considerably: increasing troubles have been observed through different quality of life scales. Age shows less important influence concerning "pain" and "physical mobility", even a decrease of symptoms in elder patients has been demonstrated by NHP-subscales for "emotional reaction" and "social isolation". Gender, education, kind of disease and dialysis treatment, and the fact of former transplantations had only marginal influence on some different dimensions of life quality. The study demonstrates in which way the patients perception of life quality could be operational and integrated in analysis and evaluation of therapeutic procedures.