A Trial of Sertraline vs. CBT for End-stage Renal Disease Patients With Depression {ASCEND}

Summary

Patients whose kidneys fail generally require dialysis treatments to sustain life. The ability of patients to make major adjustments in their lives for dialysis is hampered by depression that affects almost one-quarter of such individuals. There are no studies that have adequately tested whether treatment of depression is effective in dialysis patients and if there is any difference between the response to the two most commonly available forms of treatment, psychotherapy and anti-depressant drug therapy. To fill this important gap in the investigators knowledge, the investigators propose to undertake (1) a randomized controlled clinical trial of 200 patients to test whether an engagement interview will result in a higher proportion of dialysis patients accepting treatment for depression; and (2) a randomized controlled clinical trial of 120 patients to determine whether there is any difference in the likelihood of improvement of depressive symptoms with psychotherapy or drug therapy among dialysis patients with depression. Patients in these studies will be enrolled from among individuals receiving care in 50 dialysis facilities in three metropolitan areas - Seattle, Dallas, and Albuquerque. The research proposal has been developed with the support of patients, caregivers, and stakeholders to ensure that the findings from the study are relevant to them and can be readily implemented in day-to-day clinical practice. Hence, the engagement interview and psychotherapy will be delivered in a dialysis facility to ease the burden on patients, and the dose of the study drug will be changed in partnership with the study participants. In addition to depressive symptoms, the effect of treatment on other meaningful outcomes such as fatigue and sleep will be determined. The two forms of treatment for depression being tested in this clinical trial are very different from each other and patients differ with regards to the treatment option preferable and/or available to them. Successful completion of the clinical trial will provide patients, caregivers, and other stakeholders with the information that they would need when faced with a diagnosis of depression in patients undergoing hemodialysis. This will allow patients to select evidence-based treatments to improve outcomes that are relevant to them.

Timeline

Start

2015-03-23

Primary completion

2017-11-15

Completion

2017-12-15

Publications

• Background Davison SN, Jhangri GS. The impact of chronic pain on depression, sleep, and the desire to withdraw from dialysis in hemodialysis patients. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2005 Nov;30(5):465-73. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2005.05.013.
• Background Weisbord SD, Fried LF, Arnold RM, Fine MJ, Levenson DJ, Peterson RA, Switzer GE. Prevalence, severity, and importance of physical and emotional symptoms in chronic hemodialysis patients. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2005 Aug;16(8):2487-94. doi: 10.1681/ASN.2005020157. Epub 2005 Jun 23.
• Background Hedayati SS, Bosworth HB, Kuchibhatla M, Kimmel PL, Szczech LA. The predictive value of self-report scales compared with physician diagnosis of depression in hemodialysis patients. Kidney Int. 2006 May;69(9):1662-8. doi: 10.1038/sj.ki.5000308.
• Background Kimmel PL, Peterson RA, Weihs KL, Simmens SJ, Alleyne S, Cruz I, Veis JH. Multiple measurements of depression predict mortality in a longitudinal study of chronic hemodialysis outpatients. Kidney Int. 2000 May;57(5):2093-8. doi: 10.1046/j.1523-1755.2000.00059.x.
• Background Hedayati SS, Bosworth HB, Briley LP, Sloane RJ, Pieper CF, Kimmel PL, Szczech LA. Death or hospitalization of patients on chronic hemodialysis is associated with a physician-based diagnosis of depression. Kidney Int. 2008 Oct;74(7):930-6. doi: 10.1038/ki.2008.311. Epub 2008 Jun 25.
• Background System, U.S.R.D., US Department of Public Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, 2012.
• Background Glassman AH, O'Connor CM, Califf RM, Swedberg K, Schwartz P, Bigger JT Jr, Krishnan KR, van Zyl LT, Swenson JR, Finkel MS, Landau C, Shapiro PA, Pepine CJ, Mardekian J, Harrison WM, Barton D, Mclvor M; Sertraline Antidepressant Heart Attack Randomized Trial (SADHEART) Group. Sertraline treatment of major depression in patients with acute MI or unstable angina. JAMA. 2002 Aug 14;288(6):701-9. doi: 10.1001/jama.288.6.701.
• Background Cukor D, Rosenthal DS, Jindal RM, Brown CD, Kimmel PL. Depression is an important contributor to low medication adherence in hemodialyzed patients and transplant recipients. Kidney Int. 2009 Jun;75(11):1223-1229. doi: 10.1038/ki.2009.51. Epub 2009 Feb 25.
• Background Kutner NG, Zhang R, McClellan WM, Cole SA. Psychosocial predictors of non-compliance in haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2002 Jan;17(1):93-9. doi: 10.1093/ndt/17.1.93.
• Background Weisbord SD, Fried LF, Mor MK, Resnick AL, Unruh ML, Palevsky PM, Levenson DJ, Cooksey SH, Fine MJ, Kimmel PL, Arnold RM. Renal provider recognition of symptoms in patients on maintenance hemodialysis. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2007 Sep;2(5):960-7. doi: 10.2215/CJN.00990207. Epub 2007 Aug 8.
• Background Cukor D, Ver Halen N, Asher DR, Coplan JD, Weedon J, Wyka KE, Saggi SJ, Kimmel PL. Psychosocial intervention improves depression, quality of life, and fluid adherence in hemodialysis. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2014 Jan;25(1):196-206. doi: 10.1681/ASN.2012111134. Epub 2013 Oct 10.
• Background Duarte PS, Miyazaki MC, Blay SL, Sesso R. Cognitive-behavioral group therapy is an effective treatment for major depression in hemodialysis patients. Kidney Int. 2009 Aug;76(4):414-21. doi: 10.1038/ki.2009.156. Epub 2009 May 20.
• Background Atalay H, Solak Y, Biyik M, Biyik Z, Yeksan M, Uguz F, Guney I, Tonbul HZ, Turk S. Sertraline treatment is associated with an improvement in depression and health-related quality of life in chronic peritoneal dialysis patients. Int Urol Nephrol. 2010 Jun;42(2):527-36. doi: 10.1007/s11255-009-9686-y. Epub 2009 Dec 2.
• Background Cukor D, Coplan J, Brown C, Peterson RA, Kimmel PL. Course of depression and anxiety diagnosis in patients treated with hemodialysis: a 16-month follow-up. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2008 Nov;3(6):1752-8. doi: 10.2215/CJN.01120308. Epub 2008 Aug 6.
• Background Hedayati SS, Minhajuddin AT, Toto RD, Morris DW, Rush AJ. Validation of depression screening scales in patients with CKD. Am J Kidney Dis. 2009 Sep;54(3):433-9. doi: 10.1053/j.ajkd.2009.03.016. Epub 2009 Jun 3.
• Background Wisniewski SR, Rush AJ, Balasubramani GK, Trivedi MH, Nierenberg AA; STARD Investigators. Self-rated global measure of the frequency, intensity, and burden of side effects. J Psychiatr Pract. 2006 Mar;12(2):71-9. doi: 10.1097/00131746-200603000-00002.
• Background Rush AJ, Trivedi MH, Ibrahim HM, Carmody TJ, Arnow B, Klein DN, Markowitz JC, Ninan PT, Kornstein S, Manber R, Thase ME, Kocsis JH, Keller MB. The 16-Item Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS), clinician rating (QIDS-C), and self-report (QIDS-SR): a psychometric evaluation in patients with chronic major depression. Biol Psychiatry. 2003 Sep 1;54(5):573-83. doi: 10.1016/s0006-3223(02)01866-8.
• Natale P, Ju A, Strippoli GF, Craig JC, Saglimbene VM, Unruh ML, Stallone G, Jaure A. Interventions for fatigue in people with kidney failure requiring dialysis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2023 Aug 31;8(8):CD013074. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD013074.pub2.
• Mehrotra R, Cukor D, Unruh M, Rue T, Heagerty P, Cohen SD, Dember LM, Diaz-Linhart Y, Dubovsky A, Greene T, Grote N, Kutner N, Trivedi MH, Quinn DK, Ver Halen N, Weisbord SD, Young BA, Kimmel PL, Hedayati SS. Comparative Efficacy of Therapies for Treatment of Depression for Patients Undergoing Maintenance Hemodialysis: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Ann Intern Med. 2019 Mar 19;170(6):369-379. doi: 10.7326/M18-2229. Epub 2019 Feb 26.
• Hedayati SS, Daniel DM, Cohen S, Comstock B, Cukor D, Diaz-Linhart Y, Dember LM, Dubovsky A, Greene T, Grote N, Heagerty P, Katon W, Kimmel PL, Kutner N, Linke L, Quinn D, Rue T, Trivedi MH, Unruh M, Weisbord S, Young BA, Mehrotra R. Rationale and design of A Trial of Sertraline vs. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for End-stage Renal Disease Patients with Depression (ASCEND). Contemp Clin Trials. 2016 Mar;47:1-11. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2015.11.020. Epub 2015 Nov 24.

Drugs

Indications