Are both psychological and physical dimensions in health-related quality of life associated with mortality in hemodialysis patients: A 7-year Taiwan cohort study

Background: Psychological depression and physical disability are closely correlated in hemodialysis patients. A retrospective cohort study was conducted to examine the independent association of physical and psychological functioning with mortality in a hemodialysis cohort in Taiwan. Methods: A total of 888 stable hemodialysis patients were included. Patients completed two questionnaires: the 36-item Short Form Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36, Taiwan Standard Version 1.0) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI, Chinese Version). Mortality outcomes were recorded for a seven-year follow-up period. Results: There were 303 deaths recorded. BDI scores were inversely related to all health-related quality of life (HRQoL) domains (p <0.001). In the Cox-proportional hazard model, only poor physical dimension of HRQoL was independently associated with higher mortality. Conclusion: Poor physical dimension in HRQoL is a strong predictor of mortality among hemodialysis patients in Taiwan. Psychological depression is closely correlated with poor HRQoL but does not predict mortality.