A Prospective Study of Depression and Quality of Life After Kidney Transplantation

In an analysis of patients undergoing kidney transplantation, depression and health related quality of life (HRQOL) were measured using the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short Form Version 1.3 (KDQOL) physical health composite score (PCS) and mental health composite score (MCS) at 3-months and 1-year post-transplantation. Depression and HRQOL improve with KT. While depression improves in all ages, the improvement in HRQOL, especially PCS, is more evident in younger patients. This improvement in depression and HRQOL is sustained until at least 1-year post-KT.