Common mental disorders in TB/HIV co-infected patients in Ethiopia.
BACKGROUND
The relationship between TB/HIV co-infection and common mental disorders (CMD) has been scarcely investigated. In this study, we compared the occurrence of CMD in TB/HIV co-infected and non-co-infected HIV patients in Ethiopia.


METHODS
We conducted a cross sectional study in three hospitals in Ethiopia from February to April, 2009. The study population consisted of 155 TB/HIV co-infected and 465 non-co-infected HIV patients. CMD was assessed through face to face interviews by trained clinical nurses using the Kessler 10 scale. Several risk factors for CMD were assessed using a structured questionnaire.


RESULTS
TB/HIV co-infected patients had significantly (p = 0.001) greater risk of CMD (63.7%) than the non-co-infected patients (46.7%). When adjusted for the effect of potential confounding variables, the odds of having CMD for TB/HIV co-infected individuals was 1.7 times the odds for non-co-infected patients [OR = 1.7, (95%CI: 1.0, 2.9)]. Individuals who had no source of income [OR = 1.7, (95%CI: 1.1, 2.8)], and day labourers [OR = 2.4, 95%CI: 1.2, 5.1)] were more likely to have CMD as compared to individuals who had a source of income and government employees respectively. Patients who perceived stigma [OR = 2.2, 95%CI: 1.5, 3.2)] and who rate their general health as "poor" [OR = 10.0, 95%CI: 2.8, 35.1)] had significantly greater risk of CMD than individual who did not perceive stigma or who perceived their general health to be "good".


CONCLUSIONS
TB/HIV control programs should develop guidelines to screen and treat CMD among TB/HIV co-infected patients. Screening programs should focus on individuals with no source of income, jobless people and day labourers.
Deribew
Amare
A
Department of Epidemiology, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia. amare_deribew@yahoo.com
Tesfaye
Markos
M
Hailmichael
Yohannes
Y
Apers
Ludwig
L
Abebe
Gemeda
G
Duchateau
Luc
L
Colebunders
Robert
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005002:Ethiopia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult