Depression Increases Odds of Kidney Failure?

According to a new report, depression may lead to an increased risk of kidney failure.

As per the results of the study which appeared in the March 10 issue of Clinical Journal of American Society of Nephrology, depression could be linked to a higher rate of acute kidney injury hospitalizations. In order to put together more accurate findings, certain conditions like inflammatory markers, heart disease and lifestyle factors like BMI, smoking, drinking and more were taken into account.

Researchers noted that that depression was associated with a higher occurrence of chronic kidney disease at baseline. In fact, kidney problems were 20 percent more common in individuals who were suffering from depression than those who were not.

The leader of the study, Dr. Willem Kop had this to say on the findings:

"People with elevated depressive symptoms have a higher risk of subsequent adverse kidney disease outcomes. This is partially explained by other medical factors related to depression and kidney disease. But the association with depression was stronger in patients who were otherwise healthy compared to those who had co-existing medical disorders such as diabetes or heart disease."

While there is still a long way to go before establishing a firm and concrete line from depression to kidney problems, this study goes to show that there are some very serious possible physical ramifications to an unfortunate mental condition.