Study of the quality of life in kidney donors at a transplant center in Urmia, Iran

Introduction: Maintaining and enhancing the quality of life (QOL) of living kidney donors are an essential measure for expressing health outcomes and consequences. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate kidney donors’ QOL at the transplant center of the Imam Khomeini hospital, Urmia, Iran. Patients and Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted on 30 kidney donors between the years 1997-2014 at the Imam Khomeini Hospital, Urmia. To this end, a QOL questionnaire was completed and data analysis was performed with SPSS version 22. Results: In this study, 90% (27) of the donors were male. The mean age of the donors at the time of examination and the duration of nephrectomy was 38 ± 9.48 and 7.36 ± 4.62 years, respectively. Fifty percent of the donors had a leave of absence more than 4 weeks after nephrectomy. The mean score of physical function, physical role, emotional role, vitality, mental health, social functioning, bodily pain, and general health was 77.66±25.88, 69.16±35.16, 54.44±45.04, 61.33±17.06, 64.26±19.56, 66.25±22.54, 81.25±18.75, and 61.83±21.83, respectively. However, none of the variables had a significant statistical relationship with QOL (P<0.05). Conclusion: Donors’ QOL is lower in Iran than in other countries. It is suggested to conduct studies with a larger sample size and an appropriate control group.