The assessment of cognitive impairment in maintenance hemodialysis patients and the relationship between cognitive impairment and depressive symptoms

INTRODUCTION: Cognitive impairment and depression are common mental health problems in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients with maintenance hemodialysis (MHD). Previous studies have proven that cognitive impairment and depression were risk factors for poor prognosis in MHD patients. However, the related factors of cognitive function and the association between cognitive impairment and depression in MHD patients are still unclear. The purpose of this study is to explore the related factors affecting the cognitive function of MHD patients and evaluate the relationship between cognitive function and depression in MHD patients. METHODS: This single-center, cross-sectional study enrolled 160 MHD patients. Cognitive function and depressive symptoms were measured using Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), respectively. RESULTS: Cognitive impairment was detected in 58.1% of 160 MHD patients. Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that age, level of education and homocysteine (HCY) were independent influencing factors of MoCA scores and the scores of attention and abstract thinking were independently correlated with PHQ-9 score after adjusting for confounding factors CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicated that age, level of education and HCY were independently associated with cognitive function, and attention and abstract thinking could independently affect depressive symptoms in MHD patients.