OBJECTIVES: Improvement of hemoglobin in non-dialysis chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients was associated with an increase in health-related quality of life (HRQoL), but in dialysis patients it was still a debate.The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship of hemoglobin levels to HRQoL.

METHODS: The research design is cross sectional study, conducted on CKD patients who performed dialysis at two hospitals in Yogyakarta Indonesia. This study examined the relationship between HRQoL and hemoglobin (Hgb) levels in 61 patients with CKD performed hemodialysis. Patients' hemoglobin levels were categorized into 3 levels, ie <9, 9 to <10, and ≥10. HRQoL was measured using KDQoL-SF36 when patients visited to the hospital for hemodialysis. ANOVA was used to test the relationship between HRQoL score and hemoglobin levels

RESULTS: The results showed that the quality of life scores on the domains of the quality of social interaction and sleep (p < 0.05) were significantly different based on the category of hemoglobin level. Scores of cognitive functions improved with increasing Hb levels. With increasing Hb levels, general health scores, social function and energy/fatigue also increased but not statistically significant

CONCLUSIONS: Higher hemoglobin levels are associated with an increase in the HRQoL domain of the KDQoL-SF36 questionnaire. These findings have implications for the care of CKD patients in maintaining hemoglobin levels.