the evaluation and comparison of the effects and complications of escitalopram and citalopram on depression in patients with chronic renal failure undergoing hemodialysis referring to university hospitals in yazd

Background: this study compared the efficacy of citalopram and escitalopram in treating depression among patients with chronic renal failure undergoing hemodialysis. methods: this double-blind clinical trial was conducted on 46 patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder (mdd) and chronic renal failure undergoing hemodialysis. the depression rating scale used was the hamilton depression questionnaire. patients were randomly assigned to two groups: the citalopram group (n=24) and the escitalopram group (n=22), and they underwent a 6-week treatment. drug side effects were assessed and recorded at the conclusion of the study period. demographic variables such as age, gender, duration of depression, duration of dialysis, marital status, and educational level were also collected. the data were then analyzed using statistical tests. results: there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of gender distribution (p=0.404), marital status (p=0.155) and educational level (p=0.329). also, no significant difference was found between the mean variables: age (p=0.478), duration of depression (p=0.485) and duration of dialysis (p=1.000). there was no significant difference between the mean depression score before treatment in the two groups (p = 0.107) and after treatment in the two groups (p = 0.412). but the mean depression score after treatment compared to before treatment was significantly lower in both groups (p=0.000). also, no significant difference was found between the frequency of drug side effects in the two groups (p=0.292). conclusion: according to results, it can be concluded that both drugs have been shown to improve depression in in patients with chronic renal failure undergoing hemodialysis and are not different in their efficacy and side effects.