Correlation of IL-6, Coping, &Depression in Adolescent and Adult Patients Receiving Hemodialysis: A Comparative Study

Background The research has long reported that depression and stress are highly prevalent among patients with end-stage kidney disease requiring dialysis. Growing studies suggest that the inflammatory gene IL-6, in particular, contributes to the etiology of depression & stress by affecting the function of serotonin; one of the other explanations is by causing hypercortisolemia with overstimulation of the HPA axis. This study aimed to assess the inflammatory gene IL-6 in adolescent & adult patients with end-stage kidney disease receiving hemodialysis. Furthermore, to assess the coping skills of those patients upon the emergence of depressive symptoms & stress levels. Method One hundred and twenty-one patients receiving hemodialysis were recruited in a cross-sectional study from King Fahd Unit at Kasr Al-Ainy Hospital, Cairo University, Egypt. They were assessed for depression using Beck’s II depression inventory, stress by the stress perceived scale, coping by the short COPE questionnaire & they had inflammatory gene IL-6 level measured. Results Seventy-six patients showed depressive symptoms; adults were more depressed than adolescent patients, yet adolescents were subjected to more stress. The mean level of Interleukin-6 was 148.0±50.5pg/ml, which is higher than average. Perceived Stress Scale mean scores showed a statistically significant difference between depressed adults and adolescents ( p =0.050). Conclusions Inflammatory gene IL-6 shows a higher level in depressed adolescent and adult patients receiving hemodialysis. Adult patients are more depressed than adolescent patients with end-stage kidney disease yet coping strategies are far better in depressed adolescents than adults.