Factors Associated with Depression among Heart Failure Patients at Cardiac Follow-Up Clinics in Northwest Ethiopia, 2017: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background. Depression is a comorbid disorder in patients with heart failure and it is a major public health problem worldwide. Little is known about the depression among heart failure patients in low-income countries, while, in Ethiopia, none was studied. Objective. This study is to assess the prevalence of depression and associated factors among heart failure patients at cardiac follow-up clinics at Amhara Region Referral Hospitals, Northwest Ethiopia, 2017. Methods. A hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted between March 30, 2017, and May 15, 2017, G.C., by using a systematic random sampling technique to select 422 of 1395 HF patients. Structured interviewer-administered questionnaires and patient card review with a checklist that incorporates the PHQ-9 tool for depression measurement were used. The collected data were checked, coded, and entered into Epi-info version 7 and exported to SPSS version 20. Bivariate logistic regression at p-value 1 year) 1.64 [AOR (95% CI=1.04, 2.59)]. Conclusions. Around half of the patients were depressive. The patients who had poor self-care behavior, were females, had poor social support, had a current history of smoking, and had duration of chronic heart failure >1 year need special attention. Therefore, all referral hospitals need efforts to focus on those problems and target improvements of depressive symptoms.