Prevalence of depression among HIV-positive patients treated with antiretrovirals at different stage of infection

Introduction: Depression in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is common and can have far-reaching implications in patients receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). A high prevalence of depression has been reported in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLIIA). With the improvement in the management of HIV/AIDS patients, depression is becoming a common medical problem and interferes with ART during HIV infection. This study was conducted with the objectives to determine the prevalence of depression and to study its relationship at different stages of infection (WHO staging) and disease progression. Material and methods: About 434 HIV-positive patients on ART from Anti-Retroviral Treatment Center in Aligarh, India were interviewed using pre-tested predefined questionnaire PHQ-9. The data was analyzed using SPSS20 and a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: We found that 70/434 (16.1%) ART patients suffered from depression, with 13/434 (3%) suffering from moderate and moderately severe depression. In addition, depression was found to be greater among higher stage of the infection. About 9/70 (12.9%) patients with depression were found to be in WHO stage III or IV as compared to 23/364 (6.3%) of non-depressive patients in same WHO stage. Depression was also significantly related with worsening of disease progression, with the mean improvement in CD4 levels with treatment being only 88.54 +/- 94.91 in patients suffering from moderate and moderately severe depression, as compared to 197.31 +/- 169.84 in non-depressive patients. Conclusions: Depression has a significant relation with a higher stage of infection and disease progression of the HIV-infected respondents. Therefore, screening for depression is essential and should be incorporated in primary patient care.