The following is a summary of “Prevalence and factors associated with depression and anxiety in living liver donors: A systematic review and meta-analysis” published in the October 2023  issue of Psychosomatic Research by Fan, et al.

The purpose of this research was to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the parameters that are linked with the incidence of sadness and anxiety in living liver donors following liver transplantation. From the beginning of the project until February 2023, six electronic databases in the English language and four electronic databases in the Chinese language were searched. Both the data extraction and the quality of the study were performed in a completely separate manner by both researchers. The STATA program, version 14.0, was used to perform the calculation needed to determine the pooled prevalence.

To provide a concise summary of the variables that are linked with depression and anxiety in living liver donors after liver transplantation. Researchers carried out a narrative evaluation. This research project’s protocol was successfully submitted to the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) database with the following registration number: CRD42021290071.

This investigation had a total of 39 publications with a total of 18,577 participants. In living liver donors, the pooled prevalence of depression was 6.3% [95% CI (4.1–8.9%)], and the pooled prevalence of anxiety was 10.0% [95% CI (4.0–18.1%)]. In comparison to the prevalence of illnesses, the prevalence of clinically severe depression or anxious symptoms was significantly greater (15.7% and 17.4%, respectively). 

Within the first 3 months after donation, the incidence of both sadness and anxiety was at its greatest. In particular, it has been observed that female donors, major postoperative problems, and receivers’ poor health or mortality are variables that have a detrimental effect on sadness and anxiety. According to the information that was collected, the overall prevalence of sadness or anxiety among living liver donors was rather high. Therefore, early diagnosis and treatment of psychological illnesses are essential for promoting excellent mental health outcomes and ensuring that living liver donors have a high quality of life.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022399923003008