title: Depressive symptoms and viral clearance in patients receiving interferon-alpha and ribavirin for hepatitis C.
abstract: Interferon (IFN)-alpha plus ribavirin is an effective treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, but is associated with a high rate of depression. Depression has been linked to a worse outcome in multiple medical disorders including viral illnesses. We examined whether increased symptoms of depression during IFN-alpha/ribavirin therapy were associated with a reduced treatment response as assessed by clearance of HCV. Depressive symptoms were evaluated in 102 HCV-infected patients at baseline and after 4, 8, 12, and 24 weeks of pegylated IFN-alpha-2b plus ribavirin therapy using the Zung self-rating depression scale (SDS). Viral clearance was determined at 24 weeks by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Only 34% of subjects (10 out of 29) with a 20-point or greater increase in SDS Index score were HCV PCR negative at 24 weeks, compared to 59% (24 out of 41) of patients with a 10-19 point increase in SDS Index and 69% (22 out of 32) of patients with a less than 10 point increase (chi2=7.6, df=2, p <0.05). In addition, a 20-point or greater increase in SDS Index score during IFN-alpha/ribavirin therapy significantly predicted failure to clear virus when considered alone [crude odds ratio (OR), 3.2; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.3-8.0; p <0.01] or when controlling for other factors that affected IFN-alpha treatment response (adjusted OR, 3.6; 95% CI, 1.3-9.5; p=0.01). These preliminary findings suggest that individuals who experience significant increases in depressive symptoms during IFN-alpha/ribavirin therapy may be less likely to clear virus, highlighting the importance of identifying and treating depressive symptoms in this patient population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Charles L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Raison
authors.forename: Sherry D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Broadwell
authors.forename: Andrey S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Borisov
authors.forename: Amita K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Manatunga
authors.forename: Lucile
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Capuron
authors.forename: Bobbi J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Woolwine
authors.forename: Ira M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Jacobson
authors.forename: Charles B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Nemeroff
authors.forename: Andrew H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D017211:Treatment Failure; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D012254:Ribavirin; C417083:peginterferon alfa-2b