Health utility measured with EQ-5D in Thai patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis.

OBJECTIVES: To measure health utility by using the EuroQol five-dimensional questionnaire (EQ-5D) in Thai patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD) and to examine the relationship between the EQ-5D and patient characteristics including sociodemographic and clinical data and end-stage renal disease symptoms.

METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study. About 10 to 12 patients undergoing PD were randomly selected from each of the 10 hospitals located in every part of Thailand. Face-to-face interviews were conducted from October 2008 to February 2009. Patients assessed their health status by using five domains and a visual analogue scale. The EQ-5D score was calculated on the basis of responses to five domains by using the Thai value set. Multiple regression analyses using a stepwise method were employed to model the associations between the EQ-5D score, the VAS score, and patient characteristics.

RESULTS: The patients' mean age was 42.2 ± 13.8 years; 53% were male. The mean PD duration was 7.4 ± 6.0 months. The mean EQ-5D and visual analogue scale scores were 0.65 ± 0.23 and 0.65 ± 0.26, respectively. The EQ-5D score was higher than that obtained from a meta-analysis study (0.58). The multivariate regression model showed that education, work status, diabetes, and end-stage renal disease symptoms were significant predictors of the EQ-5D score. The significant predictors of the VAS score included work status, albumin level, use of erythropoietin, and end-stage renal disease symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS: This Thai PD sample yielded higher EQ-5D scores than did other PD populations. To improve the health utility of Thai patients undergoing PD, the significant factors should be addressed. Because our PD sample had a short PD duration, their long-term health utility should be evaluated in future research.