Prevalence, detection and associations of depression in Australian dialysis patients

Depression in dialysis patients is often undetected despite associations with poor outcomes. The aim was to determine the prevalence and associations of depressive symptoms and physician recognition of depression within a typical Australian dialysis population.

A cross-sectional study examined haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients of two hospitals in Sydney. Participants were screened for depression using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).

One hundred and ten patients completed the HADS. Subjects had a mean age of 63.7 years, 37% from a culturally and linguistically diverse background, and median dialysis duration of 2 years. Forty-one per cent of participants had significant depressive symptoms, of whom 42% had been diagnosed with depression by their clinicians. After adjustment for sociodemographic factors, having >10 medications prescribed, >3 hospitalisations in the last 12 months, and a history of depression were associated with depression.

Depressive symptoms are prevalent in Australian dialysis patients. Robust evidence is needed on the effectiveness of treatments for depression in changing outcomes in chronic kidney disease.