Evaluating Health-Related Quality of Life After Kidney Transplantation in Kazakhstan

Gulmira Derbissalina, Dinara Zhunussova, Natalya Zemlyanskaya, Raushan N. Kasymova, A Umbetzhanova, Zhanagul Bekbergenova, Elvira Aitenova, Dauren Moldazhanov, Mussenov Yerlan

2026

Full text Open access: Gold Metadata (CSL-JSON)
DOI 10.64904/20260901
Data confidence 70 medium
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Abstract

Objective: To assess health-related quality of life and the associations between selected quality-of-life domains among kidney transplant recipients in Astana, Kazakhstan. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 31 kidney transplant recipients from 2022 to 2024. A validated Russian-language version of the KDQOL-SF™ version 1.3 was used to assess health-related quality of life. Results: The mean age of participants is 43,6 ± 12 .019 years. Central Asian ethnic groups predominate among the study participants (63.4%). Analysis of the SF-36 dimensions revealed that the lowest score was observed for general health (50.2 ± 13.6), whereas the highest score was recorded for bodily pain (77.2 ± 24.4). Among the specific KDQOL-SF quality-of-life measures, the lowest score was observed for Sleep (47.6 ± 12.3). The Sexual Function score, calculated for 22 participants who reported sexual activity during the previous four weeks, was 89.2 ± 19.4. Correlation analysis of the lowest scores on the scales: Sleep, Burden of Kidney Disease (KDQOL-SF), and General Health, Physical Role (SF-36) revealed a significant association between Burden of Kidney Disease and General Health (r = 0.527, p = 0.002), and between the Burden of Kidney Disease and Physical Role (r = 0.546, p = 0.001). A moderate association was found between Sleep and Physical Activity (r = 0.418, p = 0.019) and between Sleep and General Health Status (r = 0.363, p = 0.044). Conclusion: In this cross-sectional study of kidney transplant recipients in Astana, HRQoL varied considerably across physical, functional, and kidney disease-specific domains, with the lowest scores observed for general health, kidney disease burden, and sleep. Nevertheless, it has limitations, primarily the requirement for lifelong immunosuppressive treatment and ongoing clinical follow-up. Characterizing quality-of-life outcomes in kidney transplant recipients can provide important information for identifying care gaps, standardizing post-transplant monitoring, preserving long-term transplant function, and reducing adverse complications throughout the post-transplant period.