Fatigue and psychological disorders in chronic hepatitis C.
OBJECTIVE
Most patients with chronic hepatitis C report that they suffer from fatigue. The aim of this study was to determine if the symptom of fatigue can be a guide to indicate disease activity in chronic hepatitis C, or if it is related to psychological factors.


METHODS
115 chronic hepatitis C patients attending a liver clinic at Wollongong Hospital, Wollongong, Australia, were asked to fill out a questionnaire on the functional impact of their fatigue, and a questionnaire on psychological parameters. These were correlated with a history of intravenous drug use, alcohol history, transaminase levels and liver biopsy findings.


RESULTS
Fatigue weakly correlated with the level of fibrosis on the liver biopsy, but strongly correlated with all the psychological domains of depression, anxiety, somatization, interpersonal sensitivity and hostility.


CONCLUSIONS
The level of fatigue strongly correlated with all the psychological domains, particularly depression, and not with our measures of disease activity.
McDonald
Jennifer
J
Department of Gastroenterology, Wollongong Hospital, Australia. mcdonaldje@iahs.nsw.gov.au
Jayasuriya
Jayasuriya
J
Bindley
Patricia
P
Gonsalvez
Craig
C
Gluseska
Sonja
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D001007:Anxiety / Q000150:complications; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications; D005221:Fatigue / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires