Alexithymia; an often missed condition prevelant in the practice of nephrology

Abstract

Aim: Alexithymia is a disorder associated with difficulty in recognizing and expressing feelings, which can lead to an increased susceptibility to disease development that makes alexithymia a possible risk factor for chronic kidney disease (CKD). This study was performed to evaluate for alexithymia in pre-dialysis CKD and end-stage renal disease patients undergoing hemodialysis.Material and Method: The study was conducted in the Nephrology Outpatient Department and Hemodialysis unit of Ümraniye Research and Training Hospital. The patients had to have a diagnosis of CKD. Demographic data form, routine biochemical follow up data of patients, Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), and Hospital Depression and Anxiety Scale (HADS) were used in this study. The statistical significance level was determined as p<0.05.Results: A total of 111 patients (mean age 58.10±13.48 years, 61% female) were included in the study, 83.9% of whom were found to have alexithymia. The incidence of alexithymia in CDK patients was significantly higher than that in the control group (p=0.004); however, no statistically significant difference was detected in its incidence between the hemodialysis and pre-dialysis groups (p>0.05). The results showed that increased incidence of depression resulted in a 4.47-fold (p=0.035) increase in the incidence of alexithymia. Conclusion: Alexithymia has been found to be high in patients with chronic kidney disease. Therefore, it is essential that we be aware of patients’ emotional stress and assess them for depression, anxiety, and alexithymia.