Depression, stigma and quality of life in people with drugsusceptible TB and drug-resistant TB in Vietnam

BACKGROUND: Drug resistance poses a major barrier to global control of TB - a leading infectious cause of death. Depression and stigma occur commonly among people with TB. However, the relationship between drug-resistant forms of TB, depression and stigma are not well understood. O B J E C T I VE : To compare depression, stigma and health-related quality of life (HRQoL), among people with drug-susceptible TB (DS-TB) and multidrugresistant TB (MDR-TB). METHODS : A cross-sectional study of people treated for DS-TB and MDR-TB in four provinces of Vietnam. The survey included a stigma scale (Vietnamese Tuberculosis Stigma Scale), depression scale (9-item Patient Health Questionnaire) andHRQoL scale (Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy - Tuberculosis). Differences between the two populations were compared using linear regression. RESULT S : Eighty-one people with DS-TB and 315 people with MDR-TB participated in the study. People with MDR-TB had a higher prevalence of depression than those with DS-TB (difference 17.8%, v2 8.64). The mean depression and stigma scores were higher for people with MDR-TBthan thosewithDS-TB(adjusted difference [AD] 8.6 and 7.6 respectively). People with MDR-TB reported lower HRQoL than those with DS-TB (AD -23.8). CONCLUS ION: Depression and stigma are common among people with TB in Vietnam. Strategies to prevent and treat depressive symptoms and stigma in people with TB are critical to a holistic, patient-centred approach to care.