Relationship between blood flow rate and quality of life in patients undergoing hemodialysis

Background: A low quality of life (QoL) score in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) is associated with an increased risk of mortality. However, no study has evaluated a direct relationship between the blood flow rate (BFR) and QoL in patients undergoing twice-weekly HD. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on patients undergoing HD (twice weekly) at the HD Unit in Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta. The patients were divided into two groups: those with a BFR of >250 ml/min and those with a BFR of ≤250 ml/min. QoL was assessed using the Kidney Disease QoL-Short Form questionnaire, which is divided into physical composite summary (PCS), mental composite summary, and kidney disease composite summary (KDCS) scores. The relationship between the BFR and QoL scores was analyzed using the Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis to determine the adjusted prevalence ratio (PR). Results: In total, 132 patients were included in the analysis. Patients with a BFR of >250 ml/min were more likely to have a higher PCS score (PR, 1.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15-2.99) and KDCS score (PR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.03-1.92) than those with a BFR of ≤250 ml/min. After the multivariate analysis, the BFR was still associated with the PCS score (adjusted PR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.12-2.36) and KDCS score (adjusted PR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.04-1.49). Conclusion: Higher BFR values were significantly associated with higher PCS and KDCS scores in patients undergoing twice-weekly HD.