Method: In March of 2002, we recruited 60 subjects—
26 patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis
(CAPD), and 34 caregivers—from a PD patient support
group in southern Japan. We used the Kidney Disease
Quality of Life Short Form (KDQOL-SF) and the Medical
Outcomes Study Short Form 36 (SF-36) to measure
HRQOL. We used the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) to measure
caregiver burden. Data was also collected on each
patient’s duration of illness, treatment modality, age, sex,
and medical history. All data were collected by mail
surveys.