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Depressed patients are at greater risk of kidney failure

Category: Kidney Diseases

Individuals who suffer from depression may benefit from kidney testing, as a new study published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology has found that these patients are much more likely to suffer from kidney failure.

The findings add to the list of complications experienced by depressed patients. Prior research has shown that they are also more likely to suffer from heart disease, drug abuse and suicide. The new results could represent a major public health challenge, as up to 10 percent of the population may suffer from depression.

For the study, researchers from the University of Tilburg in the Netherlands collected data over a 10-year period from 5,785 people. During this time, participants were studied for the presence of depression and attending health complications.

The results showed that 21.2 percent of depressed patients developed kidney failure during the course of the study. This number was much higher than what was seen in healthy individuals.

The researchers said that depressed individuals may be less likely to seek medical care for problems, putting off health issues until they become acute, and that this may explain the increased risk of kidney failure.