Introduction:

Kidney transplantation is the treatment of choice for end-stage renal failure due to its association with patient survival and health-related quality of life. However, lifelong immunosuppressive therapy is necessary to achieve graft survival. This study evaluated health-related quality of life and adherence to immunosuppressive therapy.

Method:

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at Virgen del Rocío University Hospital using the ESRD-SCL quality of life questionnaire and the SMAQ adherence questionnaire in patients who had undergone transplantation for over three months.

Results:

Forty-two patients participated, with a mean age of 51.19±13.89 years. Item-level results showed a good quality of life. Significant differences were found in the cognitive capacity dimension when comparing quality of life according to transplant duration and the physical capacity dimension among women. A description of adherence to immunosuppressive medication was provided regarding therapeutic adherence.

Conclusions:

The results indicated a poorer quality of life in patients with more than 60 months post-transplantation. Adherence should be considered a multifactorial issue in future research, and new measurement methods should be explored.