| Theme |
Measuring Health-Related QOL : A new endpoint for clinical |
| Title |
Quality of life in diabetic patients with chronic renal failure |
| Author |
Tadao Akizawa |
Internal Medicine, Fujigaoka Hospital, Showa University |
| Author |
Naoko Yokota |
Internal Medicine, Fujigaoka Hospital, Showa University |
| [ Summary ] |
The number of patients with chronic renal failure resulting from diabetic nephropathy has been rising in recent years and it is suggested that diabetic nephropathy will become the most common underlying cause of chronic renal failure. Diabetic patients with chronic renal failure not only have a poor prognosis, but also a depressed quality of life (QOL) as compared with non-diabetic chronic renal failure patients. Severe dietary restriction, daily self-administration of insulin and microangiopathic complications including retinopathy, neuropathy and/or diabetic gangrene with peripheral circulatory failure are the major factors affecting poor QOL. These diabetic complications which deteriorate with the progression of renal failure and dialysis duration, further impair QOL via ischemic cardio-and cerebrovascular disease, hyponutrition, infection and so on. Strict control of the blood glucose level is the most important tool for preventing or delaying this deterioration of QOL. |