Prevalence of suicidal ideations and suicide attempts in patients with tuberculosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE

Suicide and suicidal behaviors are reported to be common in patients with Tuberculosis (TB). This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to quantitively assess the prevalence of suicidality and identify the factors associated with suicidality in patients with TB.

METHODS

We searched databases PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar for studies that reported the prevalence of suicide, suicidal ideations, or suicide attempts in patients with TB. We assessed the quality of studies with the Newcastle Ottawa scale. Random-effects models were used to calculate the pooled prevalence with 95% confidence intervals (CI).

RESULTS

Nine studies (8770 participants) were included. Pooled prevalence for current suicidal ideations within the last year was 8.5% [95% CI: 5.8%12.3%]. Pooled prevalence for current suicidal attempts within the last year was 3.1% [2.2%- 4.5%]. Suicide was reported in 0.92% of TB patients at the end of 2 years, whereas 2.2% to 8.4% of all TB deaths were reported due to suicide. Factors associated with suicidality were female gender, TB retreatment, comorbid HIV, presence of another chronic medical illness, psychological distress, and comorbid psychiatric illnesses.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence rates of suicidal ideation and attempts were higher in patients with TB than in the general population. Integrating mental health services with TB programs will help develop interventions for high-risk individuals. Prospero registration number: CRD42021281849.