The Quality of Life in Kidney Transplant Recipients and Its Relation With the Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background and Aims: Kidney transplantation aims to enhance the quality of life (QOL) of individuals suffering from end-stage kidney disease. The evaluation of the QOL and effective factors in improving the QOL is of particular importance in kidney transplant recipients. Some studies have reported the high prevalence of the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in these patients. This study aims to measure QOL in kidney transplant patients and its relationship with the use of CAM in southeast Iran. Methods: A cross-sectional and descriptive correlational study was performed on 209 kidney transplant recipients referred to the office of medical specialists and Shafa Hospital in Kerman city from February to August 2021. Data were collected using demographic and clinical questionnaire, Kidney Transplant Questionnaire (KTQ-25) for the assessment of QOL and questionnaire on the use of CAMs. Results: Over half of the participants (52.2%) reported using at least one form of CAMs. The mean score of QOL was 3.22 (1.21). The highest mean score was related to physical symptom subscale 3.65 (1.58) and the lowest mean score was related to appearance subscale 2.22 (1.29). A significant correlation was found in the quality-of-life score and physical symptoms subscale between CAMs users and non-users (p < 0.05). Multiple linear regression models showed that socio-demographic information including addiction, job, location, marital status and living condition predict 12% of the variance of QOL, and addiction is the best predictor (p < 0.01). Conclusions: Many kidney transplant recipients had a low QOL. The most important socio-demographic variables predicting and affecting the QOL in these patients included addiction, job, location, and marital status. Individuals who have received kidney transplants commonly use CAM. Users of CAM reported a higher QOL and fewer physical symptoms compared to non-users.