Background
Chronic renal failure is considered a major world health problem and in Egypt as well.
Objectives
To assess psychiatric comorbidities in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and the effect of ESRD on patient's quality of life (QOL).
Patients and Methods
A total of 140 patients undergoing hemodialysis treatment in the hemodialysis unit of Benha University Hospital were chosen by nonrandom technique, and a descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using a semi-structured interview, clinical psychiatric assessment, psychometric test measuring psychiatric disease [Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-4th ed. (DSM-IV) axis I Disorders], and psychometric test measuring QOL.
Results
The study revealed that more than half of the studied sample experienced psychiatric illness (82.1%), including depression and anxiety. Depression was the most common psychiatric illness detected among the studied group (67.1%) followed by generalized anxiety disorder (53.6%) and panic attacks (8.6%). The total QOL score was affected by 59.2% in patients with ESRD with psychiatric illness.
Conclusions
There is high incidence of psychiatric disorders among patients with ESRD, with depression and anxiety disorders being the most prevalent disorders and that adversely affect QOL observed in patients with ESRD.