End-stage renal failure has a significant impact on patients' daily lives, which can be measured by quality of life questionnaires. The objective of this study was to assess the health condition related to quality of life in hemodialysed patients in three semi-urban hospitals of Senegal and to determine the factors associated with it.
During an observational, transversal, descriptive and analytical study conducted for 2 months, between March 1st and April 30th, 2016, the patients' records, in 3 cities, maintained under regular hemodialysis for at least 3 months and at least 18-years-old, have been analysed. The health-related quality of life assessment was executed by an interview with patients using the French version of the KDQOL-SF-1.3 questionnaire. Association levels between health domain values and sociodemographic, clinical and paraclinical criteria were investigated using non-parametric Wilcoxon or Kruskal-Wallis tests where 2 or more groups are compared.
We included 79 out of 94 chronic hemodialysed patients during the study period. Sixty-four patients (64) effectively participated in the study. The average age was 43.3 ± 14.9 years. The KDQOL-SF-36 questionnaire was completed by 64 patients. Among them eight patients did not answer the question which assesses the quality of sexual activity. In Saint Louis, the field that had the lowest score was "General Health" (54.9), and the one with the highest score was "Limitations due to mental state" with 92.8. In the Tambacounda's unit, the lowest score was in the "Limitations due to physical condition" side (41.0), and the highest score was in the "Life and relationships with others" field at 68.0. According to the KDQOL, the "Professional Status" dimension had the lowest score and the "Encouragements received from the dialysis team" the highest score in Kaolack and Saint-Louis whereas in Tambacounda the "Professional Status" dimension had the lowest score (16.0) and that "Quality of the entourage" the highest score (87.7). Women were significantly better (93.8) than men (83.3) compared to the "Dialysis Staff Incentives" category (p = 0.02). Married patients scored significantly lower, compared to unmarried patients, in the "Sexual Function" field (55.8 versus 96.1, p = 0.006) and "Patient's Satisfaction" (74.8 vs. 87.2; p = 0: 01).
Studies of the hemodialysed patients' quality of life in semi-urban settings are rare in sub-Saharan Africa. This allows us to note a diversity of quality of life according to geographical areas.