Impact of clinical, sociodemographic and quality of life factors on dialysis patient survival: a nine-year follow-up cohort study

Abstract

Although renal replacement therapy has contributed to the survival of chronic kidney failure (CKF) patients, mortality remains a major concern. This study aimed to identify the factors associated with mortality in a prospective cohort of CKF patients. Sociodemographic, clinical, nutritional, lifestyle and quality of life data were collected from 712 patients. The instruments used were the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), Global Subjective Assessment (GSA) and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) questionnaires. A total of 444 patients died during the study. After five years of follow-up, factors such as not being married (hazard ratio - HR = 1.289, 95%CI: 1.001; 1.660), a low frequency of leisure activities (HR = 1.321; 95%CI: 1.010; 1.727) and not being transplanted (HR = 7.246; 95%CI: 3.359; 15.630) remained independently associated with the risk of mortality. At the end of the follow-up period, factors such as not being married (HR = 1.337, 95%CI: 1.019; 1.756), not being transplanted (HR = 7.341, 95%CI: 3.829; 14.075) and having a worse nutritional status (HR = 1.363, 95%CI: 1.002; 1.853) remained independently associated with an increased risk of mortality, whereas a high schooling level (10 to 12 years, HR = 0.578, 95%CI: 0.344; 0.972; and over 12 years, HR = 0.561, 95%CI: 0.329; 0.956) and a better SF-36 physical functioning score (HR = 0.992, 95%CI: 0.987; 0.998) were protective factors associated with survival. The survival of patients with CKF is associated with factors not restricted to the clinical spectrum. The following factors were associated with high mortality: not being married, low schooling level, a limited social routine, a longer time on dialysis, worse nutritional status, and worse physical functioning.