CHERP: Depression on Dialysis
Steven Weisbord, MD leads study finding depression and pain are associated with poor compliance with dialysis treatments.
CHERP Investigator Leads Study of Depression and Pain in Patients on Dialysis
A new study of patients on dialysis examines the association over time between depression and pain and the likelihood that patients will not complete their dialysis treatments as recommended and will experience various negative health outcomes.
Steven Weisbord, MD, CHERP Core Investigator and physician at VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, was the lead author of a recent article about the study, titled "Associations of Depressive Symptoms and Pain with Dialysis Adherence, Health Resource Utilization, and Mortality in Patients Receiving Chronic Hemodialysis.” It was published ahead of print in July 2014 in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology CJASN.
Patients suffering kidney failure require regular dialysis treatments. These patients also frequently experience chronic pain and depression.
The study had 286 dialysis patients complete monthly surveys over a period of up to two years to assess patient pain and depression and to determine if patients with high levels of pain and depression were more likely to:
• Miss or end dialysis treatments early.
• Visit an emergency department.
• Be hospitalized.
• Die.
After accounting for other factors, the study found that depression and pain were associated with poorer compliance with dialysis treatments and the various other negative outcomes. Because the study was observational, it did not determine if depression and pain were the causes of the adverse outcomes.
"Patients undergoing regular dialysis often have multiple physical and emotional symptoms. While not all symptoms are easily treated, there are effective therapies for depression and pain," said Dr. Weisbord. "These findings underscore the need for further research to determine whether the effective treatment of pain and depression, in addition to making patients feel better, can improve patient outcomes and reduce utilization of healthcare resources."
The article is available online at http://cjasn.asnjournals.org/content/early/2014/07/30/CJN.00220114.full?sid=6506da15-342f-4bdf-a3b7-930eafca5f6b
