Κατάθλιψη ασθενών υποβαλλόμενων σε αιμοκάθαρση

Abstract

Introduction: Dialysis is the most effective treatment for end-stage renal disease. Depression is the main mental disorder of patients undergoing dialysis. Aim: To explore depression in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Material and methods: The study included 100 patients undergoing routine hemodialysis in a renal unit of a public hospital. The Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) - Zung scale and a specially designed questionnaire which covered socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients were used for data collection. Results: The mean score on the Zung scale was 45.3 ± 9.3, which in relation to the possible rating range (20-80) indicates moderate to low levels of patients’ depression.Statistical significantly higher depression had the older patients (p=0.001), the divorced/widowed (p=0.001), the retired (p=0.002), those who believed that regular updating helped to reduce stress (p=0.016), those who did not wish to receive written information (p=0.025), those who felt tired after dialysis, who experienced more fatigue at night, and those who felt constant fatigue (p=0.001, p=0.016 and p=0.001respectively). Conclusions: A variety of demographic and clinical characteristics are closely related to depression experienced by patients undergoing hemodialysis.