Abstract

Background. The Kidney Transplant Questionnaire (KTQ) is a quality-of-life instrument designed specifically for renal transplant recipients. Aim. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the validity and reliability of a Persian translation of the KTQ-25 questionnaire as a tool for use in Iran and also to compare the quality of life between dialysis and transplant patients. Method. We collected 143 subjects in a cross-sectional study. Their mean age was 40.3 +/- 13.3 years (range = 15-72). All KDQ-25 scales met the criteria for internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.8-0.95) and in construct validity, the correlation coefficient between 5 scales and the total scale was also acceptable (0.84-0.91). Furthermore, significant correlations were detected between the scales (P < .001). Results. The mean total score was 2.8 +/- 1.4 (range = 5.8-1.5). The best mean score observed in uncertainty and fear item was 3.1 +/- 1.6 (range = 0.5-7), while the lowest was detected in the emotional item, 2.4 +/- 1.3 (range = 0.17-6). Mean follow-up was 50.1 (range = 1-264) months. The most common physical problem was aching, tired legs in 77 (55) subjects. In comparison between dialysis and transplant patients using the standard Iranian version of Kidney Disease Quality of Life (KDQOL) questionnaire, the total and disease-specific scores for dialysis patients were significantly better than the total score in the KDQ-25 (55.8 +/- 14 vs 40.7 +/- 20.2, P = .000) and (49.7 +/- 15.8 vs 40.7 +/- 20.2, P = .000), respectively. Conclusion. Considering its validity and reliability, the Persian version of KTQ-25 questionnaire may be useful to assess the health-related quality of life among Iranian transplant recipients.