Introduction:

Individuals with chronic kidney disease may experience reduced quality of life associated with treatment costs.

Objective:

To evaluate health-related quality of life and its relationship with financial toxicity in individuals with chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis treatment.

Material and Methods:

An observational, cross-sectional study involving 214 individuals was carried out, with data collected from February to May 2022 at four specialized dialysis clinics in the southern region of Brazil. Sociodemographic and clinical questionnaires, the Comprehensive Score for Financial Toxicity, and the Kidney Disease Quality of Life - Short Form were utilized. Descriptive analysis with absolute and relative frequencies was conducted for sociodemographic and clinical variables, and Pearson correlation was used for financial toxicity and health-related quality of life scores.

Results:

Four items of the Kidney Disease Quality of Life-Short Form questionnaire had an average score below 50, indicating poor quality of life: “General health” (10.75), “Limitations in physical functioning” (29.93), “Burden of kidney disease” (37.76), and “Work status” (39.49), with physical (34.49) and mental (49.19) composite scores. The relationship between financial toxicity and health-related quality of life revealed that a worse financial toxicity score was associated with a greater number of impaired dimensions. There was a significant correlation between financial toxicity, the mental health dimension, and the effects of kidney disease.

Conclusion:

Participants experienced compromised health-related quality of life, with a positive correlation with financial toxicity.

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