Symptom burden and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) are important predictors of how a disease affects patients’ lives, especially for endemic health problems such as chronic kidney disease of uncertain etiology (CKDu). Our study describes symptom burden, HRQOL, and associated demographic and clinical variables in CKDu patients in the Girandurukotte area, Sri Lanka. A cross-sectional study included 120 CKDu patients attending the renal clinic in the endemic area. The instruments applied were the Kidney Disease Quality of Life—Short Form (KDQOL-SF^TM) version 1.3 and CKD Symptom Index—Sri Lanka. Socio-demographic, disease-related, and anthropometric variables were also investigated. The mean age of patients was 61.87 (SD 11.31), while 69.2% were male. The mean glomerular filtration rate was 28.17 (SD 14.03) mL/min/1.73 min², and 70.8% were anemic. Bone/joint pain was the most experienced symptom while the median number of symptoms reported by patients was 5 (IQR 3–7). The mean symptom burden, physical component summary, mental component summary, and kidney-disease-specific component scores were 12.71 (SD 10.45), 68.63 (SD 19.58), 78.53 (SD 18.78), and 81.57 (SD 5.86), respectively. Age was found to be a significant predictor of HRQOL, while hemoglobin level and being a farmer were significant predictors of symptom burden. Our data indicate that CKDu patients in all stages experience at least one symptom affecting all aspects of HRQOL.

中文翻译：

---

斯里兰卡吉兰杜鲁科特病因不明的慢性肾脏病 (CKDu) 患者的生活质量和症状负担。

症状负担和健康相关生活质量 (HRQOL) 是疾病如何影响患者生活的重要预测因素，特别是对于病因不明的慢性肾病 (CKDu) 等地方性健康问题。我们的研究描述了斯里兰卡 Girandurukotte 地区 CKDu 患者的症状负担、HRQOL 以及相关的人口和临床变量。一项横断面研究纳入了 120 名在流行区肾脏诊所就诊的 CKDu 患者。使用的工具是肾脏疾病生活质量简表 (KDQOL-SF ^TM ) 1.3 版和 CKD 症状指数 - 斯里兰卡。还调查了社会人口统计、疾病相关和人体测量变量。患者的平均年龄为 61.87 岁 (SD 11.31)，其中 69.2% 为男性。平均肾小球滤过率为28.17 (SD 14.03) mL/min/1.73 min ²，70.8% 患有贫血。骨/关节疼痛是最常见的症状，而患者报告的症状中位数为 5 (IQR 3-7)。平均症状负担、身体成分总结、精神成分总结和肾脏疾病特异性成分评分分别为 12.71 (SD 10.45)、68.63 (SD 19.58)、78.53 (SD 18.78) 和 81.57 (SD 5.86)。研究发现，年龄是 HRQOL 的重要预测因素，而血红蛋白水平和农民身份是症状负担的重要预测因素。我们的数据表明，各个阶段的 CKDu 患者都会经历至少一种影响 HRQOL 各个方面的症状。