Why the study?
The study aimed to determine the prevalence of suspected depression and its associated factors among patients with hypertension in a Malaysian primary care clinic.
What is the prevalence and what are the predictors of suspected depression among patients with hypertension in a primary care setting?
What is the prevalence and what are the predictors of suspected depression among patients with hypertension in a primary care setting?
Undiagnosed depression is present in 9% of Malaysian primary care patients with hypertension and is strongly associated with heavy drinking, hypertension complications, and specific sociodemographic factors.
May support depression screening in hypertensive patients with complications or heavy drinking; leaves open causal links and intervention effects.
Introduction: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of suspected depression and its associated factors among patients with hypertension in a Malaysian primary care clinic. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in a primary care clinic from 1 June to 31 August 2019 using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Results: The prevalence of suspected depression was 9.0%. The significant predictors of depression were Indian ethnicity (adjusted odd ratio [AOR]: 2.373; confidence interval [CI]: 1.147–4.907), divorce (AOR: 3.5; CI: 1.243–9.860), singleness (AOR: 2.241; CI: 1.182–4.251), heavy episodic drinking (AOR: 7.343; CI: 2.494–21.624), low physical activity level (AOR: 1.921; CI: 1.093–2.274), low fibre intake (AOR: 1.836; CI: 1.061–3.178), uncontrolled blood pressure (AOR: 1.800; CI: 1.134–2.858) and presence of hypertension complications (AOR: 3.263; CI: 2.053–5.185). Conclusion: Primary health care providers must screen for depression among patients with hypertension, particularly those within high-risk groups, and implement interventions that address modifiable risk factors.
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Choong et al. (2023) studied this question.
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