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Observational Study
. 2021 Apr;34(2):337-344.
doi: 10.1007/s40620-021-01005-1. Epub 2021 Mar 19.

The Impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of dialysis patients

Anna A Bonenkamp  1 , Theresia A Druiventak  2 , Anita van Eck van der Sluijs  2 , Frans J van Ittersum  1 , Brigit C van Jaarsveld  1   3 , Alferso C Abrahams  4 ; DOMESTICO study group
Affiliations
Observational Study

The Impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of dialysis patients

Anna A Bonenkamp et al. J Nephrol. 2021 Apr.

Abstract

Background: Studies have shown increased anxiety, depression, and stress levels among different populations during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of dialysis patients remains unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the mental health of dialysis patients during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the period preceding the pandemic.

Methods: Data originate from the ongoing multicentre observational Dutch nOcturnal and hoME dialysis Study To Improve Clinical Outcomes (DOMESTICO). Patients who filled in a health-related quality of life (HRQoL) questionnaire during the pandemic and six to three months prior were included. The mean difference in Mental Component Summary (MCS) score of the Short Form 12 (SF-12) was analysed with multilevel linear regression. A McNemar test was used to compare presence of mental health-related symptoms during and prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results: A total of 177 patients were included. The mean MCS score prior to COVID-19 was 48.08 ± 10.15, and 49.00 ± 10.04 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The adjusted mean MCS score was 0.93 point (95% CI - 0.57 to 2.42) higher during the COVID-19 pandemic than during the period prior to the pandemic. Furthermore, no difference in the presence of the following mental health-related symptoms was found during the COVID-19 pandemic: feeling anxious, feeling sad, worrying, feeling nervous, trouble falling asleep, and trouble staying asleep.

Conclusions: The mental health of dialysis patients appears to be unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Dialysis patients may be better able to cope with the pandemic, since they have high resilience and are less impacted by social distancing measures.

Trial registration number: Netherlands Trial Register NL6519, date of registration: 22 August 2017.

Keywords: COVID-19; Chronic dialysis; Health-related quality of life; Mental health.

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Conflict of interest statement

AES has received speaker honoraria from Baxter Healthcare. ACA has received speaker honoraria from Fresenius Medical Care and Baxter Healthcare. All other authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Mental Component Summary score (a) and Physical Component Summary score (b) prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. MCS mental component summary, PCS physical component summary
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Presence of mental health-related symptoms prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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