Background: Many studies have reported the occurrence of anxiety disorder in kidney disease, but only very few have tried demonstrating the relevance and the relative rate of different types of anxiety disorders in chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Aim: To find the distribution of different categories of anxiety disorders and the influence in the management of patients with CKD.

Method: This was a cross-sectional study of consecutive attendees of CKD patients at the renal unit of Enugu State University Teaching Hospital, Enugu using MINI International Neuropsychiatric Inventory, clinical and laboratory parameters collected from the patients` folders. Data were analyzed with statistical package of social science version 20. A p-value of ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant and confidence interval was at 95%.

Result: Commonest anxiety disorders found among the participants were panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, and 20.3% of them had one type of anxiety disorder or the other. Among these anxious participants, 83.9% of them were on haemodialysis, and 64.52% were classified stage 5 kidney disease.

Conclusion: Anxiety disorder is prevalent in kidney disease, and clinicians should have high index of suspicion since its presence may be indicative of severe disease.

Keywords: Pattern; Impact; Anxiety disorder; Kidney disease.  

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Dr Ezeme Mark Sunday

Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Enugu Nigeria