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Trials / Completed

CompletedNCT03390933

Identifying and Treating Depression in Hemodialysis Patients

Using Latent Variables and Directly Observed Treatment to Improve the Diagnosis and Management of Depression Among Hemodialysis Patients

Status
Completed
Phase
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
16 (actual)
Sponsor
MetroHealth Medical Center · Academic / Other
Sex
All
Age
18 Years
Healthy volunteers
Not accepted

Summary

Depression is present in about 20-30% of hemodialysis patients and is associated with morbidity and mortality. However, depression is inadequately diagnosed and treated among dialysis patients. This is due in part to the overlap between depressive symptoms (e.g. appetite change, trouble sleeping, feeling tired) and symptoms related to persistent metabolic derangements in hemodialysis patients (e.g. nausea, nocturnal cramps, feeling washed out after treatment). The overlap between depressive symptoms and dialysis-related complications makes it difficult to diagnose and therefore to treat depression. In addition, prescription of antidepressant medication may increase an already high pill burden and result in poor adherence. Moreover, the evidence base to guide depression treatment among hemodialysis patients is limited. In the investigators' previous work, they developed methods to use latent variables and structural equation modeling to isolate depressive symptoms. Other investigators have demonstrated that directly observed treatment enhances the effectiveness of tuberculosis and HIV treatment. Investigators now propose a cross-sectional study (Phase 1) followed by a single-arm clinical trial (Phase 2) at 17 dialysis facilities. The cross-sectional study will involve assessments of depressive symptoms (using the PHQ-9 screening instrument) as well as dialysis-related complications, anxiety, and quality of life (Quality of Life Questionnaire) in about 1083 patients. Investigators will then use structural equation modeling to develop and validate a hemodialysis-specific PHQ-9 (hdPHQ-9) that will isolate depressive symptoms. The trial will involve 96 patients with confirmed depression who will be assigned to directly observed weekly antidepressant treatment with fluoxetine. The primary outcome of the trial will be remission of depression at 12 weeks. The trial results will also be used to compare the responsiveness of the PHQ-9 and the hdPHQ-9. Investigators anticipate that the hdPHQ-9 will be a valid and responsive instrument that will isolate depressive symptoms in hemodialysis patients and ultimately improve the screening and diagnosis of depression. Investigators also expect that directly observed weekly fluoxetine treatment will be an effective way to manage depression among hemodialysis patients.

Detailed description

Depression is present in about 20-30% of hemodialysis patients and is associated with morbidity and mortality. However, depression is inadequately diagnosed and treated among dialysis patients. This is due in part to the overlap between depressive symptoms (e.g. appetite change, trouble sleeping, feeling tired) and symptoms related to persistent metabolic derangements in hemodialysis patients (e.g. nausea, nocturnal cramps, feeling washed out after treatment). The overlap between depressive symptoms and dialysis complications makes it difficult to diagnose and therefore to treat depression. In addition, prescription of antidepressant medication may increase an already high pill burden and result in poor adherence. Moreover, the evidence base to guide depression treatment among hemodialysis patients is limited. In the investigators' previous work, they developed methods to use latent variables and structural equation modeling to isolate depressive symptoms. Other investigators have demonstrated that directly observed treatment enhances the effectiveness of tuberculosis and HIV treatment. Investigators now propose a cross-sectional study (Phase 1) followed by a single-arm clinical trial (Phase 2) at 17 dialysis facilities. The cross-sectional study will involve assessments of depressive symptoms (using the PHQ-9 screening instrument) as well as dialysis-related complications, anxiety, and quality of life (Quality of Life Questionnaire) in about 1083 patients. The investigators will then use structural equation modeling to develop and validate a hemodialysis-specific PHQ-9 (hdPHQ-9) that will isolate depressive symptoms. The trial will involve 96 patients with confirmed depression who will be assigned to directly observed weekly antidepressant treatment with fluoxetine. The primary outcome of the trial will be remission of depression at 12 weeks. The trial results will also be used to compare the responsiveness of the PHQ-9 and the hdPHQ-9. The investigators anticipate that the hdPHQ-9 will be a valid and responsive instrument that will isolate depressive symptoms from dialysis complications and ultimately improve the screening and diagnosis of depression. They also expect that directly observed weekly fluoxetine treatment will be an effective way to manage depression among hemodialysis patients. Innovative features of the proposed project include the use of latent variables to address overlap, administration of a long acting weekly antidepressant, and directly observed treatment. The project has the potential not only to improve the diagnosis and management of depression among hemodialysis patients but also to improve their morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, it may serve as a model for future studies to isolate symptoms among overlapping medical conditions. Aim A. To develop and validate a self-reported depression screening instrument that isolates depressive symptoms from hemodialysis-related complications. Hypothesis: A hemodialysis-specific PHQ-9 (hdPHQ-9) will isolate depressive symptoms from dialysis complications. Aim B. To determine the impact of directly observed weekly fluoxetine treatment on remission of depression among hemodialysis patients. Hypothesis: About half of patients who have directly observed fluoxetine treatment will have remission of depression. Aim C. To examine the responsiveness of the new depression screening instrument to depression treatment. Hypothesis: Fluoxetine treatment will be associated with larger improvements in hdPHQ-9 scores than in PHQ-9 scores.

Conditions

Interventions

TypeNameDescription
DRUGFluoxetinePatients enrolled into Phase II will be prescribed 2 weeks of short-acting fluoxetine 20 mg and will be instructed to take the prescription daily for 2 weeks. Then patients will be prescribed 10 additional weeks of 90 mg (weekly) fluoxetine and will be observed taking it once weekly at the dialysis unit. At the end of the 12 week study period, participants will be provided 4 additional weeks of 90 mg fluoxetine in order to provide sufficient time to follow up with their primary care physician or nephrologist.

Timeline

Start date
2018-03-01
Primary completion
2023-02-28
Completion
2023-02-28
First posted
2018-01-05
Last updated
2024-10-17
Results posted
2024-10-17

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States

Regulatory

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT03390933. Inclusion in this directory is not an endorsement.