Prevalence of depression in people with tuberculosis in East Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Depression is one of the most common mental health problems comorbid with tuberculosis. However, a consolidated picture of the prevalence of depression among tuberculosis patients in East Africa remains unknown. This systematic review and meta-analysis provide new understandings by systematically examining evidence concerning the prevalence of depression among tuberculosis patients in East Africa. METHODS: Literature was found in a database of HINARI, SCOPUS, PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar. The Newcastle-Ottawa quality assessment scale was used to appraise the quality of the selected studies. Then, the DerSimonian and Laird random-effects model was applied because of the presence of heterogeneity among studies. RESULTS: A total of 409 studies were accessed. However, only 29 qualified for a full-text review, and 9 studies with a population of 2838 were included in the qualitative description and quantitative analysis. The pooled prevalence estimate of depression amongst tuberculosis patients was 43.03 % (34.93, 51.13). The highest prevalence was observed in Kenya, with 45.71% (29.26, 62.16); a similar rate was observed in Ethiopia, with 45.11 % (34.60, 55.62). Subgroup analysis based on screening tool was used: 45.71% with BDI and 41.53% with PHQ.