The Prevalence of Depression among Diabetic Patients in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, 2018

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia. Depression is one of the major important public health problems that is often comorbid with diabetes. Despite the huge effect of comorbid depression and diabetes, the overall pooled prevalence of depression among diabetic patients in the country level remains unknown. Therefore, the objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to estimate the pooled prevalence of depression among patients with diabetes mellitus in Ethiopia.

Data extraction was designed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Studies were accessed through electronic web-based search from PubMed, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, Embase, and PsycINFO. All statistical analyses were done using STATA version 11 software using random effects model. The pooled prevalence was presented in forest plots.

A total of 9 studies with 2944 participants were included in this meta-analysis and the overall pooled estimated prevalence of depression among diabetic patients in Ethiopia was 39.73% (95% CI (28.02%, 51.45%)). According to subgroup analysis the estimated prevalence of depression in Addis Ababa was 52.9% (95% CI: 36.93%, 68.88%) and in Oromia region was 45.49% (95% CI: 41.94, 49.03%).

The analysis revealed that the overall prevalence of comorbid depression among diabetic patients in Ethiopia was high. Therefore, Ministry of Health should design multisectorial approach and context specific interventions that address this comorbid depression in this specific group as well as general population.