Molapo Dimakatso M, Mokgalaboni Kabelo, Phoswa Wendy N
Department of Life and Consumer Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa (UNISA), Science Campus, Private Bag X6, Florida, Roodepoort 1710, South Africa.
Healthcare (Basel). 2025 Jan 6;13(1):85. doi: 10.3390/healthcare13010085.
HIV is a global health issue, with the highest number of infected individuals found in sub-Saharan Africa. The coexistence of HIV with depression is a huge challenge. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of depression in people living with HIV (PLWHIV) who are on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Africa.
PubMed, Scopus, and bibliographic screening were used to identify suitable literature. The study adhered to guidelines outlined by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. The Newcastle-Ottawa guideline was used to assess the quality of the included cross-sectional studies. Subgroup analysis and meta-regression were subsequently conducted following the meta-analyses, based on heterogeneity. A meta-analysis software online tool and Jamovi software (version 2.4.8.0) were used to analyse the data, and the results were presented as prevalence and 95% confidence intervals.
Thirty-four cross-sectional studies identified from the databases were deemed relevant. The overall sample size was 21,143 PLWHIV on ART in African countries. The analysed data showed the prevalence of depression to be 36%, with 95% CI (27% to 40%), < 0.01, in Africa. However, the subgroup showed that the highest prevalence was in Northern Africa, with a prevalence of 41% with 95% CI (20% to 50%), < 0.01, followed by those in Southern and Eastern Africa, with a prevalence of 38% with 95% CI (27% to 49%) and 39% with 95% CI (26% to 50%), < 0.01, respectively. The lowest prevalence was observed in Western Africa, with a prevalence of 20% with 95% CI (14% to 27%), < 0.01.
Our findings show that there is a higher prevalence of depression among PLWHIV who are on ART in Africa. It is crucial to correctly recognise and provide proper care for depression to optimise HIV treatment and enhance treatment adherence in this population.
艾滋病病毒是一个全球性的健康问题，撒哈拉以南非洲地区的感染人数最多。艾滋病病毒与抑郁症并存是一个巨大的挑战。本研究旨在调查非洲接受抗逆转录病毒治疗（ART）的艾滋病病毒感染者（PLWHIV）中抑郁症的患病率。
使用PubMed、Scopus和文献筛选来确定合适的文献。该研究遵循系统评价和荟萃分析的首选报告项目指南。采用纽卡斯尔-渥太华指南评估纳入的横断面研究的质量。在荟萃分析之后，基于异质性进行亚组分析和元回归。使用在线荟萃分析软件工具和Jamovi软件（版本2.4.8.0）分析数据，结果以患病率和95%置信区间表示。
从数据库中确定的34项横断面研究被认为相关。总体样本量为非洲国家21,143名接受抗逆转录病毒治疗的艾滋病病毒感染者。分析数据显示，非洲抑郁症患病率为36%，95%置信区间为（27%至40%），P<0.01。然而，亚组分析显示，患病率最高的是北非，患病率为41%，95%置信区间为（20%至50%），P<0.01，其次是南部和东部非洲，患病率分别为38%，95%置信区间为（27%至49%）和39%，95%置信区间为（26%至50%），P<0.01。患病率最低的是西非，患病率为20%，95%置信区间为（14%至27%），P<0.01。
我们的研究结果表明，非洲接受抗逆转录病毒治疗的艾滋病病毒感染者中抑郁症患病率较高。正确识别并为抑郁症提供适当护理对于优化该人群的艾滋病病毒治疗和提高治疗依从性至关重要。
