The relationship between laboratory values and quality of life of dialysis patients in the United Arab Emirates

Background: Several factors can determine the quality of life (QOL) of haemodialysis patients. One of these factors is laboratory values as proxy to dialysis adequacy. The relationship between laboratory values and QOL of dialysis patients is debated in the literature. As part of a larger study on the QOL of dialysis patients in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the impact of laboratory values on QOL were examined using two QOL tools. Method: The relationship between laboratory values and SF-36 and the QOL Index was examined using data from a sample of 130 dialysis patients over the age of 18 years. Results: Overall, findings from the study did not yield a significant relationship between laboratory values and either the SF-36 or QOL Index scores. The only significant finding was a positive correlation between pre-dialysis serum creatinine level and SF-36 total scores (r=0.274, p=0.002). Conclusion: Based on this study, we did not find compelling evidence of the relationship between laboratory values as a proxy to dialysis adequacy and QOL scores. Future work should incorporate larger sample sizes and patient recruitment from multiples dialysis centres to truly capture the variability in patient characteristics and treatment modalities.