Worse quality of life in volunteer blood donors with hepatitis C.
BACKGROUND
Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) encompasses many different aspects of health perceived by the individual, and its alterations in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) have been recently reported. The objective was to study a population of volunteer blood donors at different stages of HCV liver disease.


METHODS
The Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), a generic tool, was used to evaluated HRQOL. The SF-36 scores of HCV patients were compared with those of matched healthy blood donors and at the sixth month in those who were submitted to antiviral treatment. Sex, drug use, and alcohol consumption were also evaluated. A total of 120 HCV chronic carriers were divided into three groups: 1) patients with no indication for liver biopsy (n = 37); 2) patients submitted to liver biopsy with mild liver disease (n = 40); and 3) patients with moderate to severe liver disease submitted to interferon plus ribavirin treatment (n = 43).


RESULTS
HCV patients had significantly lower SF-36 scores when compared with matched healthy blood donors. There was no correlation between SF-36 scores and history of intravenous and/or inhaled drug use or alcohol consumption. Women had lower SF-36 scores than men in six domains. At the sixth month of treatment, patients who continued to be positive for the presence of HCV RNA (nonresponders) had lower quality of life than those who became HCV RNA-negative.


CONCLUSIONS
Healthy blood donors with HCV showed significantly reduced HRQOL that was more marked in women. The presence of the virus is one of the possible explanations for the reduced HRQOL.
Teixeira
Maria Cristina Dias
MC
School of Medicine, University of São Paulo (LIM-14), São Paulo, Brazil.
Ribeiro
Maria de Fátima Gomes de Sá
Mde F
Gayotto
Luis Carlos da Costa
LC
Chamone
Dalton de Alencar Fischer
Dde A
Strauss
Edna
E
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D001706:Biopsy; D001782:Blood Donors / Q000523:psychology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001938:Brazil; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D012367:RNA, Viral