Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is common among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end‐stage kidney disease, more so than in other chronic conditions, and is associated with a range of adverse clinical outcomes. It is not known whether depression in patients with CKD is different from depression that is seen in individuals without a comorbid chronic medical condition, and in particular whether depressive symptom severity and the efficacy of treatment is modified by decrements in kidney function. Studies of patients with CKD and end‐stage kidney disease have identified vastly different estimates of the prevalence of depression. Compared to studies assessing depression among hemodialysis populations, there are limited studies among individuals receiving peritoneal dialysis and the available studies involve relatively small samples of patients. The studies assessing the prevalence of depression among kidney transplant populations are predominately small single‐center samples.