Beschreibung:
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Patients with end‐stage renal disease (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">ESRD</jats:styled-content>) requiring renal replacement have impaired health‐related quality of life (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">HRQoL</jats:styled-content>), and there is general consensus that <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">HRQoL</jats:styled-content> improves with successful transplant and evidence of improvement with frequent hemodialysis. This study reports changes in <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">HRQoL</jats:styled-content> associated with changes in treatment modality to daily hemodialysis (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">DHD</jats:styled-content>) and transplant among patients requiring renal replacement. This cohort study had assessments at baseline and 6‐month following modality change. Subjects were nondiabetic individuals receiving conventional hemodialysis who (a) remained on conventional hemodialysis (n = 13), (b) changed to daily hemodialysis (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">DHD</jats:styled-content>) (n = 10), or (c) received a living donor transplant (n = 20). Thirty‐four healthy controls were assessed once for comparison. <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">HRQoL</jats:styled-content> was measured using the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Instrument. The Physical Functioning and Physical Composite Scale scores were primary outcomes. Transplantation resulted in significant improvements in six of eight generic scales and the physical composite scale (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PCS</jats:styled-content>). Those changing to <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">DHD</jats:styled-content> had significant improvements in Physical Function and <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PCS</jats:styled-content> scales. Those remaining on dialysis remained lower than controls on all scales except for Vitality; the transplant group remained lower than controls only on the Vitality and General Health scales. Transplant resulted in significant improvements in four of the seven disease‐specific scales (symptoms, effects, and burden of kidney disease, work). <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">DHD</jats:styled-content> resulted in improvements in the effects of kidney disease. Modality change to transplant results in significant improvement in <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">HRQoL</jats:styled-content>, achieving levels similar to controls. Change to daily hemodialysis improves only select <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">HRQoL</jats:styled-content> domains and remains low in disease‐specific domains.</jats:p>