Prevalence of Depression Among Newly Detected Hypothyroid Patients Attending a Tertiary Care Hospital in Bangladesh

ABSTRACT

Background: Hypothyroidism is the most prevalent endocrine disorder worldwide. In patients with endocrine diseases, a high prevalence of mood disorders in general and particularly major depression (MD) has been commonly found, especially in thyroid diseases. Aim of the study A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2021 to December to estimate the prevalence of depression among hypothyroid patients in Satkhira Medical College hospital a tertiary care hospital in Satkhira, Bangladesh. A total of 115 patients were included and analyzed in this study.Material & Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of depression among hypothyroid patients in a tertiary care hospital in Bangladesh. Patients were screened for depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 screening tool, obtaining their sociodemographic data, details of their thyroid function status, and other risk factors for depression. Also, used patient medical files were to get the laboratory results. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) version 23. Continuous data were displayed using mean and standard deviation; categorical data were expressed in numbers and percentages. The Chi-square test was used to assess the relationship between the variables. A P value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results:This is a descriptive cross-sectional study; 115 patients were enrolled and analyzed in this study. The mean age was 42.05 ± 11.49 years, ranging from a minimum of 23 years to a maximum of 72 years. The majority of patients were females (94.78% of patients were female and 83.9% of patients were male, respectively). Two-thirds of patients were married, 76(66.09%) and 64(55.65%) carried bachelor’s or diploma degrees, and only 8(6.96) % were illiterate. More than three quarters, 81(70.43%), were non-working [Table1]. Met a higher percentage of depressed patients among those who experienced stressful life events, with no statistically significant association [Table5].Conclusion: Depression was prevalent among hypothyroid patients, and screening for depression among hypothyroid patients is recommended.