Symptoms of depression among patients attending a diabetes care clinic in rural western Kenya

• Published in: Journal of clinical & translational endocrinology 2015, Vol.2 (2), p.51-54
• Main Authors: Shirey, Kristen, Manyara, Simon M, Atwoli, Lukoye, Tomlin, Ryan, Gakinya, Benson, Cheng, Stephanie, Kamano, Jemima, Laktabai, Jeremiah, Pastakia, Sonak
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2214-6237
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jcte.2015.02.002

OBJECTIVEThe prevalence of diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa is rising, but its relationship to depression is not well-characterized. This report describes depressive symptom prevalence and associations with adherence and outcomes among patients with diabetes in a rural, resource-constrained setting. METHODSIn the Webuye, Kenya diabetes clinic, we conducted a chart review, analyzing data including medication adherence, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), clinic attendance, and PHQ-2 depression screening results. RESULTSAmong 253 patients, 20.9% screened positive for depression. Prevalence in females was higher than in males; 27% vs 15% (p = 0.023). Glycemic control trends were better in those screening negative; at 24 months post-enrollment mean HbA1c was 7.5 for those screening negative and 9.5 for those screening positive (p = 0.0025). There was a nonsignificant (p = 0.269) trend toward loss to follow-up among those screening positive. CONCLUSIONSThese findings suggest that depression is common among people with diabetes in rural western Kenya, which may profoundly impact diabetes control and treatment adherence.