Purpose: Only a few European countries have carried out large, community-based, national surveys about psychiatric morbidity. Here is presented the first national French survey, aiming to estimate the prevalence of anxiety disorders and associated comorbidities according to sociodemographic characteristics.Materials and methods: The Mental Health in General Population (MHGP) database is derived from a representative national survey of the French adult population (n= 36,105), conducted between 1999 and 2003. Data collection was done using an anonymous face-to-face interview. The presence of anxiety disorders (generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia, social phobia and post-traumatic stress disorder) was assessed using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview.Results: The overall prevalence of anxiety disorders was estimated to be 21.6%, generalized anxiety disorder being the most prevalent one (12.8%). Women, young people, and people earning low income were identified as the more at risk. Major depressive episode, alcohol abuse and drug addiction frequently co-occur with anxiety disorders (28.3, 4.4 and 2.8% respectively).Conclusions: The MHGP study showed that anxiety disorders are highly prevalent in France with a high frequency of comorbidities. Our results highlight the need for considering anxiety disorders as a public health priority in France as well as in other European countries.

Anxiety and depression continue to be significant comorbidities for people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of anxiety and depression disorder among HIV patients at Conakry, Guinea. In this cross-sectional study, we described socio-demographic, clinical and psychosocial data related to anxiety and depression in 160 HIV patients of the University Teaching Hospital, Conakry, Guinea. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used for measuring depression and anxiety in the prior month. The HADS score of ⩾8 was used to identify possible cases of depression and anxiety. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression. The prevalence of comorbid depression and anxiety among HIV patients was 8.1% and the prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms among HIV-infected patients was 13.8% and 16.9%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that individuals having BMI ⩽ 18 (AOR = 3.62, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.37–9.57) and who did not receive antiretroviral treatment (AOR = 18.93, 95% CI 1.88–188.81) were significantly more likely to have depressive symptoms. Similarly, having age <40 years (AOR = 2.81, 95% CI 1.04–7.58) was also significantly associated with anxiety. Prevalence of symptoms of anxiety and depression was high in these HIV patients. This suggests a need for training on the screening and management of anxiety and depression among HIV patients.

To date there are no approved antiviral drugs for the treatment of Ebola virus disease (EVD). Based on our in vitro evidence of antiviral activity of interferon (IFN)-ß activity against Ebola virus, we conducted a single arm clinical study in Guinea to evaluate the safety and therapeutic efficacy of IFN β-1a treatment for EVD. Nine individuals infected with Ebola virus were treated with IFN β-1a and compared retrospectively with a matched cohort of 21 infected patients receiving standardized supportive care only during the same time period at the same treatment unit. Cognizant of the limitations of having treated only 9 individuals with EVD, the data collected are cautiously considered. When compared to supportive care only, IFN β-1a treatment seemed to facilitate viral clearance from the blood and appeared associated with earlier resolution of disease symptoms. Survival, calculated from the date of consent for those in the trial and date of admission from those in the control cohort, to the date of death, was 19% for those receiving supportive care only, compared to 67% for those receiving supportive care plus IFN β-1a. Given the differences in baseline blood viremia between the control cohort and the IFN-treated cohort, an additional 17 controls were included for a subset analysis, from other treatment units in Guinea, matched with the IFN-treated patients based on age and baseline blood viremia. Subset analyses using this expanded control cohort suggests that patients without IFN β-1a treatment were ~ 1.5–1.9 fold more likely to die than those treated. Viewed altogether the results suggest a rationale for further clinical evaluation of IFN β-1a.