EVAUUATION OF QUALITY OF LIFE WITH THE LEVEUS OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY IN HEMODIALYSIS PATIENTS

INTRODUCTION: Hemodialysis (HD) while causing role difficulties due to physical problems and disturbances in general health perception in the short term, leads to disorders of physical function and general health perception and role difficulties due to both physical and emotional problems in the long run. In HD patients the factors effecting quality of life are anemia, Kt/V, dialysis duration, the intensity of uremic symptoms and extra-renal diseases.

 AIM: The purpose of this study is to clarify the effects of physical parameters on the life quality and the levels of depression and anxiety of a group of HD patients. 

METHODS: Sixty-two patients (mean age was 48.28+15.11, 64.5% men and 35.5% women) were included into the study. Short Form-36 (HAD) (SF-36) and Hospital anxiety and depression scale were used in order to asses the quality of life and the levels of anxiety and depression respectively. Pre and postdialytic blood samples were drawn for bioctremical analysis and Kt/V estimation.Results: While high cardio-thoracic index (t=2.048, p=0.047) was found to be associated with role difficulties due to emotional problems, high alkaline phosphatase levels (t=2.621, p=0.012) were found to be related to disturbances of social function; low levels of phosphate (t=3.791, p<0.0001) and calcium (t=2.188, p=0.037) were found to be linked with anxiety and depression respectively. Kt/V, blood pressure and hemoglobin levels were not found to be associated with any parameter. Average patients scores for anxiety and depression by vsing HAD vere 12.81+295, 8.24+2.18, respectively. 

CONCLUSION: These results show that HD patients need psychological support rather than psychiatric therapy.