Background: Information regarding the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of living kidney donors after the donation is lacking. This study investigated HRQoL and the factors influencing the HRQoL of living kidney donors.
Methods: This is a descriptive survey study conducted between 2019 and 2020 that included 111 kidney donors who visited the outpatient clinic of the Organ Transplant Center in Korea for regular physical examinations after kidney donation. Data were collected using a self-reported questionnaire on general and donation-related characteristics, self-determination, and HRQoL. Data also included medical records reflecting physical health statuses such as the presence or absence of disease and treatment drug use and serum creatinine level. Data were analyzed using multiple regression.
Results: The mean score of the period after the donation was 5.92±5.0 years, self-determination 3.86 ± 0.43, and HRQoL was 77.9 ± 10.8(physical component summary 78.0 ± 9.57, mental component summary 79.9 ± 11.5). There was no statistically significant difference in HRQoL associated with the general characteristics, serum creatinine level, disease status, and treat drug use. But compared to hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and other diseases, HRQoL was lower in diabetes after donation (β = -14.469, p = .012, HRQoL 64.8±10.3). Factors affecting HRQoL were the perceived health recovery after donation (β = 0.430, p < .001), the competence of self-determination (β = 0.302, p= .002), donation regret (β = -13.933, p = .026).
Conclusions: HRQoL of kidney donors is affected by subjective factors rather than objective health factors. Therefore, health professionals should focus not only on the kidney donor's objective health status but also on their subjective health status and feelings of donation regret. Institutional support is needed to help kidney donors maintain self-determination.
Keywords: living donor, kidney transplantation, quality of life, self-determination.