Mental distress and health-related quality of life in gambiense human African trypanosomiasis: a case–control study in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Mudji, Junior, Ackam, Nancy, Amoako, Yaw Ampem, Madinga, Blaise, Mumbere, Pépé, Agbanyo, Abigail, Blum, Johannes, Phillips, Richard Odame and Molyneux, David ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8537-7947 (2022) 'Mental distress and health-related quality of life in gambiense human African trypanosomiasis: a case–control study in the Democratic Republic of Congo'. Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Vol 116, Issue 11, pp. 1022-1031.

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Abstract

Background
The extent to which neuropsychiatric sequelae affects the mental health status and quality of life of former gambiense human African trypanosomiasis (gHAT) patients is not known.

Methods
We assessed anxiety, depression and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in 93 patients and their age- and sex-matched controls using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Becks Depression Inventory and the 36-item Short Form Health Survey in structured interviews in the Vanga health zone in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Data were analysed using Stata version 14.0. The degree of association between neurologic sequelae and mental distress was evaluated using the Student's t-test and χ2 or Fisher's exact tests, where appropriate, with a p-value <0.05 deemed to be statistically significant.

Results
We found that neurological sequelae persisted in former patients at least 15 y after treatment. Depression (p<0.001) and anxiety (p=0.001) were significantly higher in former patients with neurologic sequelae. The mean quality-of-life (QoL) scores were significantly lower for patients than in controls in the physical, emotional and mental health domains.

Conclusions
The presence of neurological sequelae leads to mental distress and a diminished QoL in former gHAT patients. Minimising neurologic sequelae and incorporating psychosocial interventions should be essential management goals for gHAT.

Item Type:	Article
Subjects:	WC Communicable Diseases > Tropical and Parasitic Diseases > WC 705 Trypanosomiasis
Faculty: Department:	Biological Sciences > Department of Tropical Disease Biology
Digital Object Identifer (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1093/trstmh/trac035
Depositing User:	Marie Hatton
Date Deposited:	18 Jul 2023 14:51
Last Modified:	20 Jul 2023 09:29
URI:	https://archive.lstmed.ac.uk/id/eprint/20332

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