Assessment of quality of life in hemodialysis patients with uremic pruritus from Iranian Medicine view

Background and Aim: Pruritus is one of the most common problems of chronic kidney diseases. Different treatment modalities, while extending the life span of patients, can lead to changes in their lifestyle, health status and ultimately change their quality of life (QOL). Understanding the different aspects of patients' QOL leads to better services provided by health care teams to improve the patients' QOL. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of life of hemodialysis patients with uremic pruritus in Mashhad in 1396 with a view to Iranian Medicine. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was performed on 52 patients. Data collection was done by the World Health Organization QOL and researcher-made demographic Questionnaire and SPSS 16 software was used for data analysis. Results: The mean age of patients was 51.73 years and mean duration of dialysis was 41.42 months. Total score of life quality was 56. The lowest and highest scores were seen in physical and environmental dimensions. There was an inverse significant relationship between some aspects of QOL with hemoglobin and creatinine and a direct significant relationship with age, diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia (P<0.005). Conclusion: Hemodialysis patients' QOL is lower than others and several factors can improve it. Special attention to the individual characteristics of hemodialysis patients can be helpful in predicting their basic needs.