Education level is associated with mortality in male patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis

Background: Studies of the correlation between education levels and mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients are rare. The aim of this multi-center study was to investigate the relationship between education levels and 3-year mortality rates in HD patients.

Methods: A total of 935 HD patients from 3 HD centers participated in this 3-year prospective observational study. Education levels were categorized as either less than senior high school and above or equal to senior high school. The causes of death and mortality rates were also analyzed for each subgroup.

Results: At the end of the 3-year follow-up period, 164 patients had died. In the male group, forward stepwise Cox regression analysis revealed that age, HD duration, hypertension, creatinine level, serum albumin level ≥3.6 g/dl, anuria, Kt/Vurea, and high education level were significant predictive factors for 3-year mortality rates.

Conclusion: This prospective observational study demonstrated that education level was associated with mortality in men undergoing HD.