MO885: Anxiety Burden in Haemodialysis and Peritoneal Dialysis Patients

Abstract

Abstract BACKGROUND AND AIMS The growing number of people undergoing dialysis therapy on a global scale is becoming a universal concern. Their mental health is substantially associated with quality of life and outcomes. The prevalence of anxiety for people on dialysis is not well known, but appears much higher than in the general population. Nevertheless, it remains under-recognised and under-managed. We aimed to assess the prevalence of anxiety in adult patients on chronic haemodialysis (HD) and continuous automated peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). METHOD This single-centre cross-sectional study enrolled 123 patients (61 on HD and 62 on CAPD) in stable clinical condition and able to understand and fill-in the self-administered Beck Anxiety Inventory questionnaire (BAI). The patients’ self-rated health was assessed by an EQ Visual Analogue Scale (EQ-VAS). Standard laboratory parameters and Kt/V were measured in all patients. Other relevant demographic and clinical data were obtained from patients’ medical records. The results were analyzed with independent sample T-test and χ2 statistic. RESULTS The HD and CAPD groups did not differ significantly with regard to sex (59% versus 48% men; P = 0.237), age (60.83 ± 12.98 versus 60.37 ± 13.10 years; P = 0.845), level of education (44% versus 52% with only primary school; P = 0.593) and dialysis vintage (35.14 ± 26.77 versus 30.31 ± 26.11 months; P = 0.312). The average BAI was 19.40 ± 15.64 in HD and 11.52 ± 9.69 in CAPD patients (P < 0.01). Among HD patients 17% had mild (BAI = 8–15) and 53% severe (BAI >15) anxiety, while among CAPD patients 37% had mild and 26% severe anxiety (P = 0.013). No statistically significant difference was noted within the HD and CAPD groups related to the presence of anxiety and sex, age, level of education, dialysis vintage, dialysis adequacy and laboratory measurements. HD patients with BAI ≥ 8 had significantly lower EQ-VAS than those with BAI < 8 (48.89 ± 21.98 versus 66.92 ± 26.70; P = 0.032). However, no such observation was obtained in the CAPD group. CONCLUSION Anxiety is a common symptom among patients undergoing dialysis. In HD patients, it appears to be related to an overall worse health status. Early detection and treatment of anxiety may have a positive impact on patient outcomes. Thus, the high prevalence of anxiety in the current study supports the need to adopt effective strategies to adopt and improve screening strategies.