Symptom Burden and Its Relationship with Functional Status and Quality of Life among Hemodialysis Patients

Subject Area

Nephrology

Article Type

Original Study

Abstract

Background: Patients on maintenance hemodialysis face significant symptom burdens that impact clinical outcomes. This study aimed to determine the frequency of individual symptoms and assess how cumulative symptom burden influences both functional capacity and health-related quality of life among this patient group.

Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled 168 adult hemodialysis patients from two centers in Egypt. Assessments were conducted using three validated instruments: the Chronic Kidney Disease Symptom Burden Index (CKD-SBI) for symptom evaluation, the Short Form-12 (SF-12) for health-related quality of life, and the Karnofsky Performance Status Scale (KPSS) for functional performance.

Results:Participants had a mean age of 52.4 years (SD ± 14.6). The most prevalent symptoms were difficulty in sexual arousal (95.2%), decreased interest in sex (95.2%), and fatigue (89.3%). Fatigue also recorded the highest distress, severity, and frequency scores. Patients with a high symptom burden (CKD-SBI ≥22) were more likely to have diabetes (21.4% vs. 9.5%, P=0.022), be female (52.4% vs. 32.1%, P=0.008), and have a higher Charlson Comorbidity Index (2.45 ± 0.23 vs. 1.36 ± 0.17, P

Conclusions: Patients undergoing hemodialysis carry a substantial burden of both physical and psychological symptoms, which meaningfully compromise their daily functioning and overall quality of life. Systematic symptom monitoring is essential for comprehensive dialysis care.

Recommended Citation

Alalfy, Samar A.; Abdulaziz, Hoda Mahmoud Mohammad; and Mahmoud, Rasha (2026) "Symptom Burden and Its Relationship with Functional Status and Quality of Life among Hemodialysis Patients," Mansoura Medical Journal: Vol. 56 : Iss. 2 , Article 18.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.58775/2735-3990.1609