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Mental Health Important to the Success of Kidney Transplants
August 7, 2008
The most common internal organ transplanted is the kidney. In an effort to decrease the risk of rejection, researchers spend thousands of dollars trying to find the good kidney matches. As it turns out, good mental health is just as important as “good matches”. New research indicates that depression doubles the risk of kidney failure after a transplant, return to dialysis, and death.
Depression screening and periodic reassessment is crucial in determining which patients should be referred for specialized mental health treatment prior to or immediately after kidney transplantation. This research was reported by Dr. Fabienne Dobbels from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases, May 2008
Topics: Health News