Dialysis withdrawal and symptoms of anxiety and depression: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: An important aspect of end-of-life decisions in dialysis patients is elective withdrawal from dialysis therapy. Several studies have shown that clinical factors, such as comorbidity, play a role in dialysis withdrawal. The role of symptoms of anxiety and depression is largely unknown. The. METHODS: A prospective multi-center study has been set up to investigate anxiety and depressive symptoms longitudinally in dialysis patients. Anxiety and depressive symptoms were investigated using the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) as baseline. Adverse events, including dialysis withdrawal and mortality were registered during follow-up. Multivariable cox proportional hazard models were used with anxiety and depression as the independent variable and dialysis withdrawal as the outcome variable. Models included age, sex, ethnicity and a set of clinical comorbidities. RESULTS: A total of 687 patients were included between 2012 and 2017, with a median follow-up of 3.2 years. A total of 48 patients (7%) withdrew from dialysis therapy, and subsequently deceased. Anxiety and depressive symptoms at baseline showed an association with dialysis withdrawal with hazard ratios of 2.31 (1.09-4.88) for anxiety and 2.56 (1.27-5.15) for depressive symptoms, independent of somatic comorbidities. DISCUSSION: Withdrawal from dialysis therapy is associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms. Dialysis patients with more severe depressive and anxiety symptoms were more vulnerable for dialysis withdrawal. Insight in factors that play a role in dialysis withdrawal could aid patients and clinicians making an informed decision and develop clinical guidelines.

Anxiety Symptoms, Mortality, and Hospitalization in Patients Receiving Maintenance Dialysis: A Cohort Study.

RATIONALE & OBJECTIVE: Anxiety symptoms are common in dialysis patients and have a large impact on quality of life. The association of anxiety symptoms with adverse clinical outcomes in dialysis patients is largely unknown. This study examined the association of anxiety symptoms with hospitalization and mortality in patients receiving maintenance dialysis. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: Maintenance dialysis patients treated at 10 dialysis centers in the Netherlands between 2012 and 2016. EXPOSURES: Time-varying symptoms of anxiety and depression using the Beck Anxiety Inventory and Beck Depression Inventory. OUTCOMES: All-cause mortality, 1-year hospitalization rate, and hospital length of stay. ANALYTICAL APPROACH: Cox proportional hazards and Poisson regression models adjusted for sociodemographic and clinical variables. Sensitivity analyses included multiple imputation of missing data and restriction to incident patients only. RESULTS: 687 patients were included, composed of 433 prevalent and 242 incident dialysis patients. Median follow-up time was 3.1 (IQR, 3.0-3.5) years, during which 172 deaths occurred. 22% of patients had anxiety symptoms and 42% had depressive symptoms. Anxiety symptoms were associated with all-cause mortality and 1-year hospitalization rate and length of stay in all multivariable models. Anxiety symptoms showed a clear dose-response relationship with mortality. LIMITATIONS: Depression and anxiety often coexist and share symptoms. The observational design of this study limits inferences about causal mechanisms between anxiety and clinical outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Anxiety symptoms are independently associated with increased risk for mortality and 1-year hospitalization. Anxiety symptoms are a clinically relevant risk factor for morbidity and mortality in dialysis patients and warrant further research on effective treatment.

Longitudinal Associations Between Inflammation and Depressive Symptoms in Chronic Dialysis Patients.

OBJECTIVE: Patients undergoing chronic dialysis often display sustained elevations of inflammation markers and also have a high prevalence of depressive symptoms. Although multiple studies demonstrated cross-sectional associations between inflammation markers and depressive symptoms in this patient group, longitudinal associations have not been examined. We therefore investigated whether longitudinal associations exist between inflammation markers and depressive symptoms in chronic dialysis patients. METHODS: Data of three consecutive measurements of an observational, prospective cohort study among chronic dialysis patients were used. At baseline, 6-month, and 12-month follow-up, patients completed the Beck Depression Inventory, and inflammation markers (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein [HsCRP], interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor α) were measured. We examined cross-sectional associations between inflammation markers and depressive symptoms using linear regression models. The longitudinal association between inflammation and depressive symptoms was assessed using a linear mixed model analyses. RESULTS: A total of 513 patients were included. Cross-sectional associations were found between HsCRP and depressive symptoms at baseline (ß = 0.9, confidence interval [CI] = 0.4-1.4) and 6-month follow-up (ß = 1.1, CI = 0.3-2.0), and between IL-1ß and depressive symptoms at 6-month follow-up (ß = 1.3, CI = 0.8-1.8) and 12-month follow-up (ß = 1.2, CI = 0.4-1.9). Inflammation makers (HsCRP, IL-6, IL-1ß, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor α) at baseline were not associated with depressive symptoms at follow-up and vice versa. CONCLUSIONS: We confirmed the presence of cross-sectional associations between inflammation markers and depressive symptoms in chronic dialysis patients, but with our longitudinal data, we found no longitudinal associations. This supports an associative instead of a causal relationship between inflammation and depressive symptoms.

Depression, anxiety and quality of life of hemodialysis patients before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on mental health in hemodialysis patients, we assessed depression, anxiety and quality of life with valid mental health measures before and after the start of the pandemic. METHODS: Data were used from 121 hemodialysis patients from the ongoing prospective multicenter DIVERS-II study. COVID-19 related stress was measured with the Perceived Stress Scale - 10, depression with the Beck Depression Inventory - second edition (BDI-II)), anxiety with the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and quality of life with the Short Form - 12 (SF-12). Scores during the first and second COVID-19 wave in the Netherlands were compared to data prior to the pandemic with linear mixed models. RESULTS: No significant differences were found in BDI-II, BAI and SF-12 scores between before and during the pandemic. During the first wave, 33% of participants reported COVID-19 related stress and in the second wave 37%. These patients had higher stress levels (mean difference (MD) 4.7 (95%CI 1.5; 8.0), p = 0.005) and BDI-II scores (MD 4.9 (95%CI 0.7; 9.0), p = 0.021) and lower SF-12 mental component summary scores (MD -5.3 (95%CI -9.0, -1.6), p = 0.006) than patients who did not experienced COVID-19 stress. These differences were already present before the pandemic. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic does not seem to influence mental health in hemodialysis patients. However, a substantial subgroup of patients with pre-existent mental health problems may be more susceptible to experience COVID-19 related stress.

Ethnic Differences in the Association of Depressive Symptoms with Clinical Outcome in Dialysis Patients.

BACKGROUND: Studies show mixed results on the association between depressive symptoms and adverse clinical outcomes in patients on dialysis therapy. Ethnicity may play a role in these heterogeneous results. No studies have investigated the interplay between ethnicity and depressive symptoms on clinical outcome in this patient population. This study aims to examine interaction between ethnicity and depressive symptoms on hospitalization and mortality in dialysis patients. METHODS: A multi-ethnic cohort in 10 dialysis centers included 687 dialysis patients between 2012 and 2017, with an average follow-up of 3.2 years. Depressive symptoms were measured using the Beck Depression Inventory. Interaction was assessed by investigating excess risk on an additive scale using both absolute rates and relative risks. Multivariable regression models included demographic, social, and clinical variables. RESULTS: Adverse outcomes are more pronounced in native patients, compared to immigrant patients. The risk for mortality and hospitalization is considerably higher in native patients compared to immigrants. An excess risk on an additive scale indicates the presence of possible causal interaction. CONCLUSIONS: Depressive symptoms are a risk factor for hospitalization and mortality, especially in native dialysis patients. Adverse clinical events associated with depressive symptoms differ among ethnic groups. This differential association could play a role in the conflicting findings in literature. Ethnicity is an important factor when investigating depressive symptoms and clinical outcome in dialysis patients. Future research should focus on the possible mechanisms and pathways involved in these differential associations.

Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms in Dutch Immigrant and Native Dialysis Patients.

Due to continuing migration there is more interest in the mental health status of immigrants. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of depressive/anxiety symptoms in immigrant and native dialysis patients, and to explore if patient characteristics can explain differences. The Beck depression inventory and the beck anxiety inventory were used. Differences between native and immigrant patients were explored using logistic regression models adjusted for patient characteristics. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 35% for 245 native patients and 50% for 249 immigrant patients. The prevalence of anxiety symptoms was 35% for native patients and 50% for immigrant patients. In addition, the prevalence for co-morbid depressive and anxiety symptoms was 20% for native patients and 32% for immigrant patients. Crude ORs for depressive/anxiety symptoms for immigrant patients versus native patients were 1.8 (1.2-2.5) and 1.7 (1.2-2.5), respectively. After adjustment for patient characteristics ORs remained the same. Clinicians should be aware that immigrant dialysis patients are more prone to develop depressive and anxiety symptoms. Cultural factors might play a role and should therefore be assessed in future research.

The association of acculturation and depressive and anxiety symptoms in immigrant chronic dialysis patients.

OBJECTIVE: Among immigrant chronic dialysis patients, depressive and anxiety symptoms are common. We aimed to examine the association of acculturation, i.e. the adaptation of immigrants to a new cultural context, and depressive and anxiety symptoms in immigrant chronic dialysis patients. METHODS: The DIVERS study is a prospective cohort study in five urban dialysis centers in the Netherlands. The association of five aspects of acculturation ("Skills", "Social integration", "Traditions", "Values and norms" and "Loss") and the presence of depressive and anxiety symptoms was determined using linear regression analyses, both univariate and multivariate. RESULTS: A total of 249 immigrant chronic dialysis patients were included in the study. The overall prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms was 51% and 47%, respectively. "Skills" and "Loss" were significantly associated with the presence of depressive and anxiety symptoms, respectively ("Skills" ß=0.34, CI: 0.11-0.58, and "Loss" ß=0.19, CI: 0.01-0.37; "Skills" ß=0.49, CI: 0.25-0.73, and "Loss" ß=0.33, CI: 0.13-0.53). The associations were comparable after adjustment. No significant associations were found between the other subscales and depressive and anxiety symptoms. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that less skills for living in the Dutch society and more feelings of loss are associated with the presence of both depressive and anxiety symptoms in immigrant chronic dialysis patients.

Impact of simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplantation on progression of coronary atherosclerosis in patients with end-stage renal failure due to type 1 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: Mortality in type 1 diabetic patients with end-stage renal failure is high and dominated by coronary atherosclerotic events. With regard to prognosis, simultaneous transplantation of pancreas and kidney (SPK) may be superior to kidney transplantation alone (KTA) in type 1 diabetic patients, because normalization of blood glucose levels may reduce progression of coronary atherosclerosis and because it is well known that progression of coronary atherosclerosis is one of the major factors that determines clinical prognosis. However, no data are available on progression of coronary atherosclerosis after SPK. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We performed an observational angiographic study comparing progression of coronary atherosclerosis, analyzed with quantitative coronary angiography, in patients with (n = 26) and those without (n = 6) a functioning pancreas graft after SPK, to test the hypothesis that normalization of blood glucose levels by SPK may indeed reduce progression of coronary atherosclerosis in type 1 diabetic patients and thereby improve prognosis. RESULTS: Mean follow-up was 3.9 years. Average glucose control was significantly worse for the patients without a pancreas graft than for patients with a functioning pancreas graft: 11.3 (SD 3.5) vs. 5.9 mmol/l (SD 1.1) (P = 0.03). Mean segment diameter loss (progression of diffuse coronary atherosclerosis) was 0.024 mm/year (SD 0.067) in patients with a functioning pancreas graft, compared with 0.044 mm/year (SD 0.038) in patients in whom the pancreas graft was lost. Minimum obstruction diameter loss (progression of focal coronary atherosclerosis) was 0.037 mm/year (SD 0.086) in patients with a functioning pancreas graft compared with 0.061 mm/year (SD 0.038) in patients in whom the pancreas graft was lost. Regression of atherosclerosis occurred in 38% of patients with a functioning pancreas graft compared with 0% of patients of whom the pancreas graft was lost (P = 0.035). CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides, for the first time, evidence that in patients who have undergone SPK, progression of coronary atherosclerosis in patients with a functioning pancreas graft is reduced compared with patients with pancreas graft failure. Our observation is an important part of the explanation for the observed improved mortality rates reported in type 1 diabetic patients with end-stage renal failure after SPK compared with KTA. In light of these findings described above, SPK must to be carefully considered for all diabetic transplant candidates.

[Diabetic muscle infarction]. / Het diabetische spierinfarct.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic muscle infarction is a rare complication of diabetes mellitus that typically presents in the thigh; microvascular abnormalities may play a role. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 32-year-old female presented at the outpatient clinic with a painful, swollen thigh. She had suffered from type 1 diabetes for 22 years. The patient was admitted to the nephrology ward for further evaluation. Deep-venous thrombosis and abscess were excluded with echography. After additional investigations - MRI and a biopsy of skin, muscle and fascia - the diagnosis diabetic muscle infarction was made. The patient was treated with bed rest and analgesics. With hindsight, the muscle biopsy was not actually required in reaching a diagnosis. CONCLUSION: The diagnosis 'diabetic muscle infarction' is made on the basis of clinical presentation in combination with MRI findings. The treatment consists of bed rest and analgesics.

Spontaneous adrenal haemorrhage in early pregnancy.

A 32-year-old primigravida presented at our emergency room at 6 weeks of gestation with acute severe right upper quadrant abdominal pain, radiating to the right flank. Vital signs were stable. Abdominal ultrasound showed a round inhomogeneous mass of 10 cm diameter behind the right kidney, suspected for adrenal haemorrhage. The patient was admitted for observation. An MRI showed some right-sided pleural effusion and a round mass in the adrenal region with no recognisable adrenal gland, therefore most likely originating from the right adrenal. After 10 days the patient was discharged with no change in size of the haematoma. MRI was carried out every 2 months which showed a decrease in size of the haematoma, with no other abnormalities. Based on stable MRI and the patient's preference, a vaginal delivery mode was chosen. At 37 weeks of gestation labour was induced, followed by an uncomplicated delivery.

Long-term follow-up study on bone mineral density and fractures after simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation.

BACKGROUND: In type 1 diabetic patients with end-stage renal failure, low bone mass is prevalent and the incidence of fractures high after simultaneous pancreas kidney transplantation (SPK). Data are scarce on preexisting skeletal morbidity or the long-term effects of SPK on bone mass and risk of fractures. METHODS: We conducted a prospective study addressing these issues in 19 consecutive SPK recipients before and at 3, 6, and 12 months, and 2.5 to 4 years after establishment of graft function. RESULTS: Prior to transplantation, 13 patients (68%) had hyperparathyroidism, 7 of whom had osteoporosis. Mean bone mineral density (BMD) was significantly lower at the femoral neck than at the lumbar spine (T-scores -2.0 +/- 0.89 vs. -0.66 +/- 0.84). There was a significant decrease in BMD at both lumbar spine and femoral neck at 6 months post-transplantation (-6.0 +/- 5.4% and -6.9 +/- 4.3%, respectively). No further loss was observed in the following 6 months. At 1 year post-transplantation, 9 patients had osteoporosis associated with hyperparathyroidism in 8, and none had sustained a clinical fracture. A significant albeit small increase in BMD was observed 6 months after start of alfacalcidol 0.25 microg/day. At end-evaluation, osteoporosis and hyperparathyroidism persisted in the patients in whom it was documented at 1 year. Five patients who had lower BMD at the femoral neck pretransplantation sustained a clinical fracture. CONCLUSION: Cortical osteoporosis is prevalent in SPK recipients at the time of transplantation, progresses early post-transplantation, and is associated with relatively high incidence of fractures. Reversal of persistent hyperparathyroidism with the use of alfacalcidol may contribute to a decrease in skeletal morbidity.