The dual burden of disease: Depression among patients with multidrug resistance tuberculosis in low-income and lower- middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Authors

Agmas Wasie Abate, Assasahegn Tedla, Gashaw Mehiret Wubet, Getasew Legas, Amsalu Belete, Kirubel Shiferaw, Getnet Mihretie Beyene, Assefa Agegnehu Teshome, Wondimnew Desalegn Addis, Melaku Mekonnen Agidew, Samuel Berihun Dagnew, Belete Asnake Sitotaw, Birhanu Mengist Munie

Published in

PloS one. Volume 21. Issue 10. Pages e0360738. Epub Oct 13, 2026.

Abstract

Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) continues to pose a serious global health challenge, particularly in low-income and lower-middle-income countries where the disease burden, fragile health systems, and socioeconomic hardships are most pronounced. These conditions not only complicate treatment but also worsen patients' vulnerability to depression. Although numerous primary studies have investigated the prevalence of depression among individuals with MDR-TB, their findings have been inconsistent. To address this gap, the present study seeks to estimate the pooled prevalence of depression and identify its associated factors among MDR-TB patients in low- and lower-middle-income countries.
Relevant studies were sourced from Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science. Additionally, the reference lists of selected articles were manually reviewed to identify further eligible publications. A random-effects model was employed to calculate the pooled prevalence of depression among MDR-TB patients in low- and lower-middle-income countries.
The meta-analysis incorporated 23 primary studies with a combined sample of 5,734 MDR-TB patients. The pooled prevalence of depression among this population was 41.89% (95% CI: 32.63-51.15; I² = 98.51%, P < 0.001). Several factors were significantly linked to depression, including female gender (AOR = 2.00, 95% CI: 1.66-2.41), financial hardship (AOR = 2.56, 95% CI: 1.44-4.55), presence of comorbidities (AOR = 3.72, 95% CI: 2.11-5.38), greater disease severity (AOR = 2.13, 95% CI: 1.42-3.12), medication-related side effects (AOR = 2.77, 95% CI: 2.20-3.48), and perceived stigma (AOR = 3.58, 95% CI: 2.13-6.02).
The prevalence of depression among MDR-TB patients in low- and lower-middle-income countries was found to be notably high. These findings emphasize the importance of implementing routine depression screening and integrating psychosocial support into patient care.

PMID:
42868138
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 14 Oct 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.