Systematic review and meta-analysis on depression and anxiety prevalence in liver cirrhosis

This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesized global evidence on the prevalence of depression and anxiety among patients with liver cirrhosis. The analysis pooled data from 23 studies encompassing 979,113 patients from countries worldwide. The primary focus was to estimate the burden of these mental health conditions in cirrhosis patients.

The authors reported a pooled prevalence of depression of 0.37 (95% C.I. 0.29–0.46, p = 0.01). For anxiety, the pooled prevalence was 0.53 (95% C.I. 0.33–0.73; p-value not fully reported). The review also explored associated risk factors and geographic distribution of these conditions.

A key limitation noted by the authors is that the diagnosis of depression and anxiety remains limited and under-investigated in cirrhosis patients. The review did not report on specific interventions, comparators, or safety data. The authors did not report a follow-up duration.

The authors suggest that standardizing depression and anxiety screening for cirrhosis patients could improve their outcomes and quality of life. However, the findings are based on prevalence estimates and do not establish causation. Clinicians should interpret these pooled estimates with the noted uncertainty.