As
reported in the March 2007 Journal of Hepatology, researchers performed
a study to assess HRQoL and sexual health in HCV positive patients with advanced
liver fibrosis or cirrhosis
enrolled in the HALT-C
Trial.
A
total of 1144 participants completed SF-36 and sexual health questionnaires prior
to finishing 24 weeks of pegylated interferon/ribavirin.
At week 20, 373 subjects (33%) had undetectable HCV RNA. This group continued
therapy through week 48, and 258 had a follow-up visit at week 72. At this time,
180 patients had achieved sustained virological
response (SVR) and 78 had relapsed.
Results
•
At
baseline, patients had poorer scores for all eight SF-36 domains compared with
healthy HIV negative controls.
•
Patients
with cirrhosis had lower HRQoL scores than those with bridging fibrosis.
•
Patients
with higher depression scores also had lower HRQoL scores.
•
Subjects
who achieved SVR experienced significant improvement in 7 SF-36 domains.
•
In
contrast, relapsers experienced significant worsening in 1 domain.
•
Sexual
health scores improved in sustained responders and decreased in relapsers (P =
0.03).
•
In
multivariate analyses, improvements in HRQoL and sexual health scores were significantly
associated with SVR, but were less striking in patients with lower depression
scores.
Conclusion
In
conclusion, the authors wrote, "Achievement of SVR after pegylated interferon/ribavirin
therapy improves HRQoL and sexual health in chronic hepatitis C patients with
advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis."
02/20/07
Reference H
L Bonkovsky, K K Snow, P F Malet, and others. Health-related quality of life in
patients with chronic hepatitis C and advanced fibrosis. Journal of Hepatology
46(3): 420-431. March 2007.
