The impact of a diminished level of kidney function on the well-being of an older individual is poorly understood. We sought to determine the association between estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and overall quality of life (QoL) among older adults.
Cross-sectional analysis of 4293 participants from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, a population-based study of community-dwelling adults ≥50 years of age. We used multivariable negative binomial regression to model the relationship between categories of cystatin C eGFR (eGFR cys) or creatinine eGFR (eGFR cr) and the number of QoL deficits from the Control, Autonomy, Self-realization and Pleasure (CASP-19) scale, a holistic measure of QoL among older adults (range 0–57). We further explored this relationship across age strata.
Median age was 61 [interquartile range (IQR) 55–68] years, 53% were female, mean (SD) CASP-19 score was 44.8 (7.4) and median eGFR cys was 81 (IQR 68–93) mL/min/1.73 m 2. After multivariable adjustment, participants with eGFR cys <45 mL/min/1.73 m 2 had 14% greater QoL deficits {incidence rate ratio 1.14 (95% confidence interval 1.03–1.25)] relative to the reference group (eGFR cys ≥90 mL/min/1.73 m 2). This relationship appeared linear across eGFR cys categories and was more pronounced in younger (50–64 years) compared with older participants (65–74 or ≥75 years). There was no substantive relationship between eGFR cr and CASP-19.