The association between giant hydrocele and depression in a rural clinic in Nigeria

One of the dreaded disfiguring disease conditions among the Andoni tribesmen in the Nigerian Niger delta region is hydrocele, especially when its size is large (giant hydrocele) and it cannot be concealed. This case-control study was designed to evaluate the prevalence of depression among patients with giant hydrocele presenting to Bethesda Clinic Ngo, Andoni, Nigeria. A total of 52 patients were recruited into this study: 26 in the giant hydrocele group and 26 in the control group. Their age range was 23 to 78 years, with a mean age of 53.4 ± 15.5 years for the giant hydrocele group and 53.6 ± 14.2 years for the control group. The difference between the prevalence of depression among patients that presented with giant hydrocele (61.54%) and the controls (15.38%) was statistically significant (p = .0015). The authors conclude that depression is common among patients with giant hydrocele when compared with patients with other disease conditions.

Assessment of quality of life and depression in Korean patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy

Purpose

To assess quality of life and depressive status in Korean patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy.

Methods

A cross-sectional study of 49 patients (mean age, 41 years; sex ratio, M:F=11:38) with Graves' ophthalmopathy (referred to as the Graves' group) and 48 age-matched and sex-matched controls (mean age, 40.2 years; sex ratio, M:F=11:37) was performed using the Korean version of the 36-item Short-Form General Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Survey data was compared among patients with mild, moderately severe, and sight-threatening Graves' ophthalmopathy and between patients with low (0 or 1) or high (2 or 3) Gorman scores.

Results

Those in the Graves' group scored significantly lower on all categories of the SF-36, as compared to the control group (p<0.05). The 4 patients with sight-threatening Graves' had significantly lower scores for physical functioning, role limitations due to physical health, and the physical component summary of the SF-36, when compared with the 28 patients with mild Graves' and the 17 patients with moderately severe Graves' (p<0.05). The 17 patients in the high Gorman score group had lower physical component summary scores than the 32 patients in the low Gorman score group (p=0.03). The 16 patients with BDI scores ≥16 had significantly lower scores on the SF-36 and higher clinical activity scores, as compared to the 33 patients with BDI scores <16 (p<0.05).

Conclusions

Patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy had reduced health-related quality of life and were more likely to be depressed, especially those with a sight threatening condition or significant diplopia. It is important to identify these patients to provide the necessary psychological support.