Depressive Symptoms, Antidepressants, and Clinical Outcomes in Chronic Kidney Disease: Findings from the CRIC Study

The extent to which depression affects the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and leads to adverse clinical outcomes remains inadequately understood. We examined the association of depressive symptoms (DS) and antidepressant medication use on clinical outcomes in 4,839 adults with nondialysis CKD. Observational cohort study. Adults with mild to moderate CKD who participated in the multicenter Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort Study (CRIC). The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was used to quantify DS. Antidepressant use was identified from medication bottles and prescription lists. Individual effects of DS and antidepressants were examined along with categorization as follows: (1) BDI