Background: Depression is a common psychological problem among patients with chronic diseases. Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the rare infectious diseases that have longer duration of illness and treatment. Depressive symptoms are more prevalent among patients with TB, and they affect patient’s attitudes towards the drug therapy and ultimately their outcome in care. Social stigma towards the disease, drug side effects, around 6 months or more of treatment duration, and a lack of family support in some patients are some of the risk factors for depression among TB patients.
Aims and Objectives: This study was conducted with the objective of finding the prevalence of depression among TB patients. We also try to find risk factors for depression among patients with TB enrolled in a directly observed treatment short-course (DOTS) center at GMERS Medical College, Himmatnagar.
Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 104 patients with pulmonary and extra-pulmonary TB patients registered in the DOTS center were included. A pre validated proforma was used to collect information, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was used to assess depression. Data were entered into Microsoft Excel 2019. Epi Info 7.1 open-access software was used for data analysis.
Results: Out of 104 participants, males (69.2%) outnumbered females (31.8%). The mean age of study participants was 28.7 ± 3.6 years, with an interquartile range of 22–44 years. Depression was present in 51.9% of patients with TB (scores greater than 10 on the PHQ-9) out of whom 9.6% showed severe depression.
Conclusion: More than half (51.9%) of the patients showed a PHQ-9 score suggestive of having depression, out of which 9.6% showed severe depression. Male gender, unemployment, newly diagnosed TB patients, and a history of addiction were suggestive risk factors for depression among TB patients.
Key words: Depression; Directly Observed Treatment Short Course; Patient Health Questionnaire-9; Tuberculosis
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