INTRODUCTION: Limiting factors of dialysis patients' quality of life are associated with high rates of psychiatric disease. Since effective treatment of psychiatric diseases can positively affect dialysis patients' prognosis and survival, there is a need for an early diagnosis. In Brazil only few studies have measured the prevalence of these disorders. OBJECTIVE: Study the prevalence and pattern of psychiatric disorders in chronic hemodialysis patients and assess the association between these diseases and some variables. METHODS: Two hundred forty-four patients were enrolled in two nephrology units at the state of Bahia, Brazil. The Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) was used in all patients. RESULTS: Ninety-one patients (37.3%) presented at least one psychiatric diagnosis. The most common disorders included dysthymia (17.6%), risk of suicide (16.4%), and major depressive episode (8.6%). Women had higher risk of mental disorders than men (RC = 2.77; confidence interval [CI] 95%: 1.42-5.41). Widowed, divorced and single patients had higher risk than married patients (RC = 5.507; CI 95%: 1.348-22.551). Patients on treatment for less than two years had higher risk (RC = 2.075; CI 95%: 1.026-4.197). Those with Kt/V below 0.9 were at higher risk than those with a higher Kt/V (RC = 3.955; CI 95%: 1.069-11.012). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in patients on dialysis was high (37.3%). Affective disorders were the most common ones. Women and patients with Kt/V below 0.9 were at increased risk. The risk was lower in patients at dialysis program for longer than two years and in married patients.
psychiatric diseases; hemodialysis; Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview
