02541nas a2200277   4500000000100000008004100001260003700042653002400079653005700103653001500160653002000175653001000195100000900205700001200214700001000226700000900236700001000245700000900255700001300264245012800277856009900405300000900504490000700513520172900520022001402249       2024                            d  bPublic Library of Science (PLoS)10aInfectious Diseases10aPublic Health, Environmental and Occupational Health10aDepression10aSchistosomiasis10aChina1 aQi Y1 aHuang M1 aSun H1 aWu X1 aLiu Z1 aLu D1 aRamos AN00aPrevalence of depressive symptoms in patients with advanced schistosomiasis in China: A systematic review and meta-analysis  uhttps://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0012003&type=printable  a1-160 v183 a<p><strong>Background:&nbsp;</strong>Advanced schistosomiasis is the most serious outcome of infection and has a negative impact on both physical fitness and mental health of patients, the latter of which has long been overlooked. Therefore, we performed this systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms, one of the most common mental problems, in patients with advanced schistosomiasis in China.</p>

<p><strong>Methods:&nbsp;</strong>Six electronic databases were searched for studies reporting the prevalence of depressive symptoms in the targeted patients. Assessments were pooled using a fixed- or random-effects model based on heterogeneity test. Subgroup analyses were further performed and differences between/among groups were examined using the chi-squared test. The protocol had previously been registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023406708).</p>

<p><strong>Results:&nbsp;</strong>A total of 11 studies with 1,673 participants were included. The pooled prevalence of depressive symptoms in advanced schistosomiasis in China was 62.01% (95% CI: 51.30% - 72.72%), with a significant heterogeneity among studies. Depressive symptoms were more prevalent in patients with complications and more than half of the patients suffered a mild- or moderate-level of depression. No publication bias was found, and sensitivity analysis showed a stable result.</p>

<p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> The overall prevalence of depressive symptoms in advanced schistosomiasis in China was high enough to warrant psychotherapeutic interventions, especially for patients with complications. This would greatly prevent or/and reduce depression and improve their quality of life.</p>
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