Study: Home Hemo Patients Have Less Depression

LAWRENCE, Mass.—NxStage Medical, Inc. said the latest results from its ongoing FREEDOM study show significant relief of depressive symptoms that have been implicated in higher rates of hospitalization and death among end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients.

The study revealed a reduction in depressive symptoms experienced by patients after four months of daily home hemodialysis therapy with the NxStage System One™ continues to be sustained after 12 months on daily home hemodialysis show continued.

Various studies suggest that 20 percent to 30 percent of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) suffer from clinical depression, the symptoms of which may result in changing sleep habits, lack of appetite, reduced activity level, as well as inability to work and interact in social situations. Increased presence of depressive symptoms have been linked to significant increases in hospitalization rates and mortality in the dialysis population in large, multinational studies such as the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS).