COVID-19 Vaccination Improved Psychological Distress (Anxiety and Depression Scores) in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients: A Prospective Study.

Helena Garcia-Llana,Maria Jesús Puchades,Jose Luis Górriz,Irina Sanchís,Carmen Ribera,Carmen María Pérez-Baylach,Mari Sargsyan,Elena Giménez-Civera,Begoña Bonilla,Mª Inés Marco,Luis D’Marco,Nayara Panizo,Marisa Orti,Francesc Moncho Francés,Asunción Sancho,Claudia Forquet,Elisa Perez-Bernat,Cristela Moncho Ferrá,Lorena Gandía

doi:10.3390/vaccines10020299

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to analyze the impact of vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 on anxiety and depression scores in patients with different modalities of chronic kidney disease. One hundred and seventeen renal patients (50 hemodialysis patients, 13 peritoneal dialysis patients, 32 kidney transplants, and 22 advanced chronic kidney disease patients at pre-dialysis care) were evaluated for depression, anxiety, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and perceived fears and resources with standardized (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)) and self-reported questionnaires. The measure points were before vaccination and 15 days after vaccination. The main finding of the study was that there was a decrease in the global mean of normal scores for anxiety and depression symptoms in chronic kidney disease patients post-vaccination. We did not find statistically significant differences in depression or anxiety scores, nor any HRQOL differences between the treatment groups. The three main fears reported by the participants at baseline were those of adverse effects, not getting the vaccine, and lack of information. These findings highlight the potential interest of assessing psychological variables related to the impact of vaccination against SARS-CoV-2. New studies will be required to assess the impact of comprehensive vaccine coverage and its psychological impact.

Highlights

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a notable impact on the mortality and quality of life of billions of people all over the world, and those with chronic diseases such as chronic kidney disease have been especially affected
The present study yields some original and interesting results to further our understanding of the relationship between the COVID-19 vaccine and its psychological impact on the fears, resources, and health-related quality of life of 117 renal patients undergoing different treatment options
The main finding of the study is that the global mean of normal scores for anxiety and depression symptoms in chronic kidney disease patients measured by self-reported questionnaires (HADS-A and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)-D) decreased post-vaccination

Summary

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a notable impact on the mortality and quality of life of billions of people all over the world, and those with chronic diseases such as chronic kidney disease have been especially affected. CKD patients have shown alterations in anxiety and depression scores [2]. Given that severe psychological distress was already known to be highly prevalent in those patients [3], the pandemic represented a potentially aggravating situation. It is for this reason that many authors have paid special attention to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psychological well-being of these patients [4]

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