Depressed mood and poor quality of life in male patients with chronic renal failure undergoing hemodialysis

OBJECTIVE: To assess mood and quality of life in male hemodialysis patients, and to correlate mood swings with the different domains of the quality of life questionnaire. METHOD: Forty-seven male patients undergoing regular hemodialysis for more than six months were included in the study. The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire, in a version translated into and adapted to Portuguese, were used. RESULTS: The patients' age was 39.4±8.9 years (median±SD). Depression was observed in 32 (68.1%) patients according to the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. A significant negative correlation was found between the results from the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and the following parameters of the specific dimensions of the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire: list of symptoms and problems (rs=-0.399; p=0.005), quality of social interaction (rs=-0.433; p=0.002), and quality of sleep (rs=-0.585; p<0.001). Among the generic domains, mood showed a significant negative correlation with general health (rs=-0.475; p<0.001), emotional well-being (rs=-0.354; p=0.015), social functioning and energy/fatigue (rs=-0.518; p<0.001). The other parameters of the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire did not show significant correlations with the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. CONCLUSION: Mood showed a negative correlation with the various scores of quality of life assessed by the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire, suggesting a possible influence of mood on the quality of life of chronic renal patients undergoing hemodialysis.