Depressão e ansiedade em pacientes transplantados renais

Abstract

The chronic kidney failure is the gradual and irreversible loss of kidney function and, in the terminal phase, kidney replacement therapy, such as hemodialysis and kidney transplantation, becomes necessary. Patients undergoing hemodialysis experiences fears, restrictions and decreased quality of life, which can lead to symptoms of anxiety and depression, aggravated by the need to wait for a donor, and little knowledge about the efficacy and postoperative expectations of the transplant. This study aims to evaluate the levels of anxiety and depression of renal transplant patients in a kidney transplant outpatient clinic. An exploratory, descriptive, cross-sectional and quantitative study was performed at the ambulatory of the Kidney Transplant Service of the Hospital Universitário Walter Cantídio of Universidade Federal do Ceará - HUWC, which attends patients in outpatient pre and post kidney transplant follow-up. The sample consisted of 52 kidney transplant recipients with recruitment for convenience. The inclusion criteria were: patients 18 years of age or older, in a post-renal transplant follow-up at the outpatient clinic. As an exclusion criterion, patients with severe cognitive disorders and psychotropic use were used when it was not possible to answer the questions satisfactorily. A sociodemographic questionnaire and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD) were used. No patient was excluded according to the exclusion criteria. In according with HAD scale, depression was 92.3% as unlikely (from 0 to 7 points), 5.8% as possible (from 8 to 11 points) and 1.9% as likely (from 12 to 21 points). Regarding the scores for anxiety, they scored as unlikely (from 0 to 7 points) 75%, 15.4% as probable (from 8 to 11 points) and 9.6% as possible (from 12 to 21 points). Supported by the results obtained, it can be suggested that kidney transplantation, besides improving kidney function, increasing survival rate, being a more sustainable substitutive kidney therapy with a better cost-benefit in the long term, can restore the subject's mental health by relieving tension over death, progressive loss of kidney function, and autonomy.