title: Assessment of stress & related albuminuria in caregivers of severe mentally ill persons.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The family caregivers of patients with chronic diseases are known to undergo psychiatric stress leading to oxidative damage to glomerular membrane of kidney resulting in proteinuria. This study was aimed to compare current anxiety, depression levels and urinary albumin:creatinine ratio between primary caregivers of chronic mental patients and matched controls, and also whether the urinary albumin : creatinine ratio is correlated with stress factors (state and trait anxiety level, depression and caregiver burden) amongst caregivers.
  
  
  METHODS
  The present cross-sectional study included 131 subjects (93 primary caregivers of patients with major mental illness as cases and 38 normal controls). They completed the Burden Assessment Schedule of SCARF, State Trait Anxiety Inventory and Beck's Depression Inventory. A spot urine sample was tested for urinary albumin : creatinine ratio from all study subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean values of current State and Trait anxiety, depression, urinary albumin:creatinine ratio were significantly higher in caregivers than controls (P < 0.001). Urinary albumin : creatinine ratio was significantly correlated (P < 0.001) with State and Trait anxiety level, depression as well as caregiver burden.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study demonstrated depression , anxiety and albuminuria amongst primary caregivers of patients with mental illness. Increase in the caregivers' burden, depression and anxiety resulted in an increase in the urinary albumin: creatinine ratio. This indicates that psychological stress is one of the determinants of albumin excretion rate in otherwise healthy subjects.
authors.forename: Anirban
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dalui
authors.forename: Prathama
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Guha
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Malda Medical College & Hospital, Malda, West Bengal, India.
authors.forename: Angshuman
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De
authors.forename: Sandip
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chakraborty
authors.forename: Indranil
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Chakraborty
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000419:Albuminuria / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology; D001007:Anxiety / Q000473:pathology*; D017028:Caregivers; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D028642:Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D013315:Stress, Psychological