PREVALENCE OF DEPRESSION AMONG HEMODIALYSIS PATIENTS IN AL-MADINAH AL-MUNAWWARAH, SAUDI ARABIA, 2021

Background: Among patients undergoing Hemodialysis, depression is one of the most common psychological problems. There is an association between depression and low quality of life, low adherence to treatment and high mortality rate among hemodialysis patients Aim: To estimatethe prevalence of depression among hemodialysis patients in Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia, 2021. Methods: A total of 200 hemodialysis patients wereparticipated in this study. A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2021 to January 2022. Valid and reliable Arabic version of the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) have been used in the questionnaire. Results:We found that 34.5% of patients had clinical depression. Among our participants, females had a significantly higher depression level than males (p<0.05). There is not astatistically significant difference between age, marital status, income, occupationand depression scale (p>0.05). Conclusion:Our study has revealed that patients undergoing hemodialysis have a higher prevalence of clinical depression. Therefore, hemodialiysis patients should be screened regularly.Early recognition and initiation of depression management will improve patients quality of life.Also, it may decrease mortality and morbidity among hemodialysispatients.