Link Between Depression and Kidney Function

Depressive symptoms are strongly associated with increased mortality rates in dialysis patients and after kidney transplantation but little is known about the association between elevated depressive symptoms with a decline in kidney function as it is one of the risk factors for development of poor kidney function.

To investigate the potential link in adults with normal kidney function as well, a team led by Xianhui Qin, MD (Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, in China) examines information on 4,763 individuals with healthy kidneys when they enrolled in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS)for a median follow-up of 4 years.

‘Depressive symptoms is a risk factor for developing chronic kidney disease.’

The results of study are about to publish in Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology show a significant association between depressive symptoms at the start of the study and rapid decline in kidney function during follow-up as they experience 1.4-times more likely rapid kidney function decline than participants with infrequent depressive symptoms.

This study demonstrates high depressive symptoms as a risk factor for Chronic kidney disease needs to be identified to reduce the huge burden of Chronic kidney disease and its related complications by effective psychosocial interventions.



Source: Medindia