Pain and Depression Impacts Health and Well-being of Dialysis Patients: Study

Pain and depression in dialysis patients affects their health and also increases medical expenses, according to a study.

Kidney failure and diseases impair the organ's ability to expunge body waste that begins to build up resulting in serious health damages. Dialysis helps filter out excess level of creatinine and blood urea nitrogen using a special plastic tube inserted in to a cavity made in the body of patients with renal diseases. A recent study led by Steven Weisbord from the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System found depressive symptoms and pain are common in patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis. These two conditions have long-term repercussions on patients' health and well-being.

The experts gave questionnaires to 286 dialysis patients to study their mental status and recovery rate for two years. Monthly screenings revealed that almost 18 and 79 percent of participants exhibited depressive behavior and reported suffering from pain, respectively.

The odds of missing out dialysis sessions were 21 percent higher for depressed patients. Almost 24 percent of the depressed subjects were likely to be admitted in emergency departments and had 19 percent increased possibility of hospitalization. The mortality risk surged 40 percent in this group of people.

In addition, the study noted patients who reportedly experienced chronic pain had 16 percent higher chances of seeking an abbreviated dialysis treatment. The risk of hospitalization and emergency department visits also rose by 28 and 58 percent in those who were in pain.

"Patients receiving chronic hemodialysis experience a very high burden of physical and emotional symptoms. While not all symptoms are easily treated, there are effective therapies for depressive symptoms and pain," said Weisbord, researcher at the Pittsburgh Healthcare System in a news release.

"These findings underscore the need to determine whether the effective treatment of these symptoms, in addition to making patients feel better, can also reduce utilization of healthcare resources and costs and improve patient-centered outcomes," he adds.

The authors suggest doctors and healthcare providers consider giving anti-depressants and pain relieving analgesic medication to allay negative health reactions and unnecessary treatment cost.

More information is available online in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.