The relationship of depression and anxiety with severity and duration in leprosy-affected patients Doi: https://doi.org/10.55522/jhpo.V3I5.0100

Abstract

Leprosy is a chronic neglected tropical disease associated with substantial physical disability and a disproportionately high burden of depression and anxiety. The association of these symptoms with objective disability grade and disease duration is under studied in India. Objective: To assess depression and anxiety in leprosy patients by using validated scales and to find out their association with the severity of disability and duration of disease. Methods: A six months observational study was conducted in tertiary care physiotherapy department on 60 adults with confirmed leprosy by purposive sampling method. The PHQ-9, GAD-7 and WHO disability grading were administered and data were analysed using Spearman's rank correlation. Mean PHQ-9 was 10.22±5.21 and mean GAD-7 was 7.63±4.14. Depression and anxiety were highly correlated (rho=0.885, p<0.001). Neither was significantly correlated with disability grade (rho=0.145 and 0.237) or duration (rho=-0.163 and -0.065). Both showed a significant weak positive correlation with age (rho=0.351, p=0.006; rho=0.274, p=0.034). Leprosy patients have co-morbidities of depression and anxiety regardless of grade of physical disability and duration of disease. This supports universal psychological screening at all grades of severity and integration of physiotherapist-led psychosocial strategies into standard rehabilitation.