| dc.description.abstract | Depression is a common condition in patients with cardiovascular disease and is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality leading to poor health related quality of life. Studies done globally have shown that early diagnosis and intervention of depression in cardiac disease reduces mortality from cardiac disease. In Kenya however, data pertaining to the relationship between depression and cardiac disease is limited.
Aim: To determine the prevalence of depression among cardiac patients {in and out-patients) at KNH, Nairobi
Study Design: A cross sectional descriptive study using cardiac patients at Kenyatta National Hospital.
Setting: The study was conducted in KNH cardiac clinic and the medical and surgical wards.
Methods: The study comprised 207 cardiac patients who were either attending the cardiac outpatient clinic or admitted to the medical or surgical wards and who met the inclusion criteria. They were interviewed using a researcher designed socio demographic questionnaire and the Beck Depression Inventory II. Descriptive and inferential analysis was done using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 and the results presented in narratives, tables and charts.
Results: The study enrolled 207 participants who were outpatient, 67.6% or inpatient 32.4% cardiac patients at KNH. Of the study population, 47.8% were male and 50.7% were female; The median age was 41 years. Most (72.9%) of the 207 participants were married. Majority of the participants, 43% (n=89) had attained a secondary education. In terms of occupation, 39.1% (n=81) were unemployed. Of the participants involved in income generating activities, 39.4% (n=43) had an income of between Ksh 10,000-39,999. 64.3% of the participants were Protestants, 32.9% were Catholic and three participants were Muslims.
The most prevalent cardiovascular condition seen was hypertension/hypertensive heart disease. The prevalence of depression in the study was 24.7% and was seen mostly in the inpatients as compared to the outpatients (J:)'=0.001). The type of cardiac condition was also significant in the prevalence of depression (p<0.001). Age, gender, marital status and socio economic status were not found to be significant factors in the development of depression in cardiac disease.
Conclussion:
As evidenced by this study, the prevalence of depression is higher among patients with cardiac disease as compared to the general population. Age, marital status and the socio economic status of the participants did not seem to have an impact on the presence or absence of depression in them. In- patients with cardiac disease had a higher prevalence of depression as compared to the outpatients.
Recommendations:
Patients with cardiac disease need to be routinely screened for depression as studies have shown that they are more susceptible to have depression compared to the general public and also that depression has been shown to increase the rates of mortality in cardiac patients. Further studies examining the role of somatic symptoms in cardiac disease and depression and the impact of duration a patient has had cardiac disease to the probability of getting depression need to be conducted. | en_US |
