Psychological implications of hepatitis C virus diagnosis.
OBJECTIVE
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) diagnosis causes significant psychological stress and anxiety. We thought it would be important to illustrate the anxiety caused by HCV diagnosis in patients from the developing world.


METHODS
This study was conducted at the Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad, between February 2004 and April 2004. All patients who were recently diagnosed with HCV (those who tested positive to anti-HCV and HCV polymerase chain reaction) were given a questionnaire that compared stress due to HCV infection with four other variables, including death of a close family member, divorce, loss of source of income and move to another city. We also analyzed the anxiety level among these patients using the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI).


RESULTS
We studied 98 patients and 100 healthy controls. Thirty-one (31.63%) patients who were diagnosed with HCV presented only with fatigue. Sixty-three (64.28%) patients admitted that diagnosis of HCV interfered with their daily life in some way. Among the newly diagnosed cases, 48 (48.97%) patients had moderate to severe anxiety (BAI Class B and C). Multi-logistic regression analysis showed that anxiety was related to HCV-related stress (P < 0.002) and self-perceived severity of disease (P < 0.001). HCV diagnosis was significantly more stressful than divorce (59.87 vs 70.95; P < 0.013), loss of source of income (50.52 vs 70.80; P < 0.001), and a move to another city (28.32 vs 70.80; P < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Diagnosis with HCV is reported to be more stressful than divorce, loss of source of income and a move to another city.
Gill
Muzaffar L
ML
Department of Gastroenterology, Shifa International Hospital and Shifa College of Medicine, Islamabad, Pakistan. gill95@yahoo.com
Atiq
Muslim
M
Sattar
Syma
S
Khokhar
Nasir
N
D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010154:Pakistan; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires