AUTHOR=Jiang Zheng , Liu Jiang , Geng Lei , Zhong Zhengxia , Tan Jiaxing , Wen Dongmei , Zhou Ling , Tang Yi , Qin Wei 

TITLE=The Influences of COVID-19 on Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.754310

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2021.754310

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=Background: The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) had attracted global attention. During the lockdown period of COVID-19, many patients with chronic disease had to interrupt the follow-up, which brought severe challenges to better management of disease. This study aimed at exploring the change of illness, daily life and psychological responses during the pandemic of COVID-19 among chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients.
Methods: A total of 612 patients were enrolled in this study, 282 patients were categorized into CKD stages 1-2 group and 330 patients were in CKD stages 3-5 group. Among two groups, 168(27.5%) and 177 (28.9%) patients were female with median age of 42 and 45, respectively. The study was conducted by collecting the questionnaires in 5 nephrology centers. the questionnaire consisted of assessment of anxiety by using Self-Rating Anxiety Scale and the influences of COVID-19 which included basic demographic data, the influences of COVID-19 on the illness and daily life, as well as the patients’ psychological responses during the epidemic.
Results: 612 patients were included and divided into two groups according to eGFR. 96 patients (34%) in CKD stages1-2 group and 141 patients (42.7%) in CKD stages 3-5 group had reduced their follow-up frequency (p=0.031). More patients with CKD stages 1-2 consulted online (25.9%), p=0.005. Besides, patients with CKD stages 3-5 group tended to be more anxious about follow-up(p=0.002), fearful of being infected with COVID-19 (P=0.009), more likely to feel symptoms getting worse (p=0.006). The standard scores of SAS were 48.58±7.082 and 51.19±5.944 in CKD stages 1-2 group and CKD stages 3-5 group, respectively (p<0.001). And there were significant differences in the severity of anxiety (p=0.004). 
Conclusion: COVID-19 had a greater impact on patients with CKD stages 3-5 than stages 1-2 in illness, daily life and psychological disorder. Patients with CKD stages 3-5 were more anxious during the pandemic of COVID-19.
Keywords: COVID-19, chronic kidney disease, online consultation, Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, psychological response.