Depression in maintenance hemodialysis patients: What do we need to know?

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is now recognized as a major public health problem in the world. The global prevalence of CKD is estimated at 13.4% (11.7–15.1%), with an estimated 490.2 to 7.083 million patients with End stage renal disease requiring renal replacement therapy. Hemodialysis is the main treatment for End stage renal disease patients because of its high safety and efficiency. The survival time of these patients was significantly prolonged, but many psychological problems followed. Depression is a type of mood disorder caused by a variety of causes, often manifested as disproportionate depression and loss of interest, sometimes accompanied by anxiety, agitation, even hallucinations, delusions and other psychotic symptoms. Depression has become the most common mental disorder in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients according to the meta-analysis. In recent years, depression has seriously affected the quality of life and prognosis of MHD patients from dietary, sleep, treatment adherence, energy and other dimensions. This article reviews the epidemiology, etiology, diagnosis and treatment of depression in MHD patients.