On the Relationship Between Depression and Its Severity with Dialysis Adequacy in Hemodialysis Patients in Ahvaz Teaching Hospitals

Depression is a prevalent psychological disorder among hemodialysis patients and is associated with a variety of adverse outcomes. Dialysis adequacy also affects hemodialysis patients’ survival rates.

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of depression in hemodialysis patients and its association with dialysis adequacy.

In this cross-sectional study, 205 individuals undergoing hemodialysis at Ahvaz teaching hospitals in 2019 were included. The depression level was determined using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) for the participants aged below 65 years and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) for the patients aged above 65 years. Dialysis adequacy measures, including the Kt/V and urea reduction rate (URR), were calculated using standard formulas.

IN this study, 60.5% of the participants suffered from depression, and the overall prevalence of depression was 54.6% in individuals aged below 65 and 67% in those aged above 65 years. Among the patients with age below 65 years, 19 persons (17.6%) were suffering from mild depression, 22 individuals (20.4%) were suffering from moderate depression, and 18 individuals (16.7%) had severe depression. Among the patients aged above 65 years, moderate depression was found to affect 45 persons (46.4%), and 20 individuals (20.6%) had severe depression. The mean values of Kt/V and URR were not significantly correlated with depression scores (P > 0.05).

Depression is a common disorder among hemodialysis patients in Iran; however, it is not significantly associated with dialysis adequacy. However, the results of studies on the relationship between depression and dialysis adequacy cannot be analyzed simply.