[Psychological disturbances and deterioration of health-related quality of life of patients with stage 3-5 chronic kidney disease (not on dialysis)].

From the 1990s, various studies have provided data on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in stages previous to the initiation of kidney replacement therapy (KRT). The characteristics of these patients (Strength of Recommendation C) are: Patients with CKD have a deterioration in their HRQOL when compared with the general population. This deterioration is associated with various sociodemographic variables: age, gender, marital status, educational level and income. The deterioration is partly explained by the diseases that cause CKD (hypertension and diabetes), associated comorbid conditions (especially cardiovascular) and complications of CKD (anemia and malnutrition-inflammation). The progressive decline in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is associated with a progressive deterioration of HRQOL, as well as an increase in the frequency and severity of certain symptoms and the impact (psychological distress) they cause. Physical dimensions are more affected than mental or social dimensions. Mental disturbances in patients with CKD can be summarized as follows: - There is an association between high levels of anxiety and low levels of sense of coherence with a reduction in wellbeing that in turn affects functional capacity for activities of daily living. - Psychological impairment from symptoms increases as GFR worsens. - This is a high level of correlation between perception of disease, depression and satisfaction with life. - Impairment of mental dimensions is greater in male, young, divorced, unemployed, smoker, and obese patients and in those who take more medication and have greater comorbidity. - Impairment of mental dimensions is negatively associated with albumin levels and hemoglobin. The recommended questionnaire for measurement of HRQOL in this type of patients is the SF-36. The SF-12 can be used as a shorter alternative and is suitable for evaluation of groups of patients.