Quality of life and anxiety in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis: a cross-sectional study in Northeastern Brazil

This investigation assessed the prevalence of anxiety disorder associated with quality of life in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis. This is a cross-sectional study, carried out in the state of Ceará, northeastern Brazil, with a sample of 192 participants. The following instruments were used in the interviews: sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire, Kidney Disease and Quality of Life Short-Form (KDQOL-SFTM) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Data collection took place in 2019. All analyses were performed using the SPSS software. The results showed that patients with anxiety were males, most of them married, with low level of schooling and family income. Nevertheless, they lived with two or three people in their households. Hypertension stood out among patients with anxiety (17.9%). The participants had been undergoing hemodialysis for 1 to 5 years (43.3%) and had a fistula as the vascular access to mediate the procedure (p<0.05). A total of 44.8% classified their health as regular; 77.6% had difficulty performing their work activities; 67.2% stated they had great difficulty performing activities with physical effort; 55.2% confirmed that the physical and emotional limitations they felt did not interfere in their social relationships with family, friends, neighbors or groups. Increased anxiety was associated with the male gender (OR= 2.056, 95% CI: 1.027 - 4.116) and a fistula as the vascular access (OR= 2.637, 95% CI: 1.343 - 5.177). It was verified that anxiety interferes with the quality of life in patients with chronic kidney disease.