Quality of Life in Pediatric CKD Patients on Dialysis vs Renal Transplantation: A Comparative Study of the Perspectives of Parents and Children

Abstract

Background

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a burden on children and their caregivers, especially in advanced stages requiring different renal replacement modalities (peritoneal/hemodialysis and renal transplant). The aim of the study is to measure the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of children and their caregivers for each renal replacement modality, specifically dialysis and transplant.

Methods

This study is a single-center cross-sectional study that was carried out at King Fahad Specialist Hospital in Dammam (KFSH-D). A total of 57 participants ranging from 5 to 18 years of age were included in the study, comprised of 42 patients and their parents in the transplant arm and 15 patients and their parents in the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) arm. The HRQOL was measured using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) version 3.0 ESRD and transplant modules, respectively.

Results

The mean scores for HRQOL for children receiving dialysis were found to be 60.2 ± 22.6, which was significantly lower than the scores for children who had undergone transplantation (84.1 ± 14.7, P = .001). Additionally, the scores for the parents providing proxy reports for children on dialysis (52.5 ± 25.7) were also significantly lower compared with those for parents of children who had undergone transplantation (83.8 ± 13.9, P ≤ .001).

Conclusions

This research demonstrated that HRQOL of both children who had undergone transplants and their caregivers was notably superior to that of individuals with ESRD. Which reinforces the importance of timely kidney transplantation in children and its positive impact on both physical and psychosocial well-being.