Pharmacovigilance & Drug Safety

The aim of this study was to assess levels of depressive symptoms present in patients with diabetic foot. A convenience sampling method was used to recruit 108 patients with diabetic foot. After having completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), patients' demographic data and medical history were collected using pre-structured forms. Of the entire sample, 38.9% have CES-D score ≥27 which indicates risk for major depression. Logistic regression analysis showed that retinopathy was significantly associated with increased depressive symptoms among diabetic foot patients (odds ratio 3.41 (p=0.017)). Being on a combination of oral hypoglycemic agents and insulin treatment was significantly associated with lower depressive symptoms (odds ratio 3.38 (p=0.022)). Patients with primary education level have the highest odds ratio among all factors associated with risk for major depression (OR, 4.07; p=0.003). The risk for major depression among patients with diabetic foot in Jordan is high compared to general diabetic population. This was associated with low educational level, retinopathy and not taking combination of oral hypoglycaemic agents and insulin. There is a need for routine screening for depression in patients with diabetic foot to help in the prevention, early detection of depression and even referral to a psychiatrist.