The objective of this study was to examine the factors affecting quality of life in renal transplant patients and to evaluate the association between depression and quality of life.
Material and methods: A study was carried out in 61 renal transplant patients. Health-related quality of life was evaluated using the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form (SF-36) questionnaire. Depression was measured using the Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI).
Results: Twenty percent of the subjects had a BDI score higher than 15. The BDI score correlated inversely with these quality-of-life domains: physical functioning (r=-0.691, P<0.001), limitations in physical activities because of physical problems (r=-0.428, P=0.001), bodily pain (r=-0.662, P<0.001), and limitations in usual role activities because of emotional problems (r=-0.319, P<0.001). The BDI score also correlated with age (r=0.44, P<0.001) and serum creatinine level (r=0.453, P<0.001). Subjects with BDI score higher than 15 were significantly older (51.40+/-11.35 years vs. 42.64+/-10.89 years, P<0.05), they had higher serum creatinine levels (215.7+/-82.63 micromol/L vs. 153.2+/-50.6 micromol/L, P<0.05), lower bodily pain score (39.7+/-21.44 vs. 72.32+/-19.0, P<0.001), and lower score in limitations in usual role activities because of emotional problem (36.6+/-33.23 vs. 67.36+/-37.83, P<0.05).
Conclusions: Depression was associated with a lower quality of life in four domains. Patients with depression were older and had a worse graft function.