Symptoms of depression among patients attending a diabetes care clinic in rural western Kenya

•Patients attending a rural diabetes clinic were screened for depression.•Screen negative patients had better glycemic control trends.•Screen positive patients showed higher trends of loss to follow-up.•There is need for psychological care among patients with diabetes.

ObjectiveThe prevalence of diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa is rising, but its relationship to depression is not well-characterized. This report describes depressive symptom prevalence and associations with adherence and outcomes among patients with diabetes in a rural, resource-constrained setting.MethodsIn the Webuye, Kenya diabetes clinic, we conducted a chart review, analyzing data including medication adherence, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), clinic attendance, and PHQ-2 depression screening results.ResultsAmong 253 patients, 20.9% screened positive for depression. Prevalence in females was higher than in males; 27% vs 15% (p = 0.023). Glycemic control trends were better in those screening negative; at 24 months post-enrollment mean HbA1c was 7.5 for those screening negative and 9.5 for those screening positive (p = 0.0025). There was a nonsignificant (p = 0.269) trend toward loss to follow-up among those screening positive.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that depression is common among people with diabetes in rural western Kenya, which may profoundly impact diabetes control and treatment adherence.