Prevalence of Anxiety, Difficulties and Quality of Life of Patients with Chronic Renal Disease at Pediatric Service at University Hospital Center "Mother Theresa"

Chronic kidney disease (CKD), is an illness that causes grave and irreversible reduction of kidney function, affecting the physical, social and emotional wellbeing of the child. Although over the last years medical care and management of children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been effective and there have been changes in the prognoses of these patients, the implications on their health and well being remain deep ones. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of anxiety, difficulties and quality of life (QoL) as risk factors in children diagnosed with CKD, an assesment which will affect the prognoses and clinical follow-up of these patients. 30 patients of age of 11-15 years diagniosed at Mother Theresa University Hospital Cenetr were included in the study. In these study, were used three instruments: State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), (PedsQl) Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Based on the analyses of data it resulted that 97% of the patients were suffering with high level of difficulty. As regards the level of anxiety more than half of the patients (60%) reported high levels and 40% of them anxiety of average level. The analyses of quality of life revealed that 53% had low quality of life, the other part (47%) an average level. The medical problems of these patients are accompanied with psychological complications. Comprehension of their experience is important for the planning and provision of the respective services, as well as the reduction of the impact of the illness. In this context, this study is an initiator for other researches which should be qualitative, such researches focused on the patient will help to understand the perceptions of this patients with CKD, how they experience their disease.