Quality of Life and Depression Among Mexican Americans on Hemodialysis: A Preliminary Report

Health-related quality of life (QOL) and depression burden of Mexican Americans with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are not known. This observational cross-sectional study assessed QOL and depression and examined their inter-relatedness in Mexican Americans with type 2 diabetes and ESRD on maintenance hemodialysis (HD) treatment. Prevalent Mexican Americans on HD (N=40) completed the Kidney Disease Quality of Life-Short Form (KDQOL-SF) and the Beck Depression Inventory II. The overall median scores for the mental component summary and the physical component summary scales in the KDQOL-SF were 40.9 and 34.0, respectively. The prevalence of severe depression was 40%. The most significant differences between depressed and non-depressed groups were symptom/problem list, cognitive function, and emotional well- being (P<0.0001 for all). Mexican Americans with depression endure a more dismal QOL compared to non-depressed peers. Significant negative correlations between depression and several QOL scales underscore plausible interactions between the two conditions which warrants further evaluation.