Health-related quality of life in patients with chronic hepatitis C and advanced fibrosis.
OBJECTIVE
Although the antiviral and histological benefits of peginterferon/ribavirin therapy are well established, the effects on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and sexual health are less certain. This study assessed HRQOL and sexual health in patients with advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis in the HALT-C Trial.


METHODS
Subjects completed SF-36 and sexual health questionnaires prior to and after 24 weeks of peginterferon/ribavirin therapy (n=1144). Three hundred and seventy-three (33%) subjects were HCV RNA negative at week 20 and continued therapy through week 48; 258 were seen at week 72. One hundred and eighty achieved sustained virological responses (SVR) and 78 relapsed.


RESULTS
At baseline, patients had poorer scores for all eight SF-36 domains compared to healthy controls. Patients with cirrhosis had lower HRQOL scores than those with bridging fibrosis, as did patients with higher depression scores. SVR patients had significant improvements in seven domains, whereas relapsers had significant worsening in one domain. Sexual scores improved in SVR patients and decreased in relapsers (p=0.03). In multivariate analyses, improvements in HRQOL and sexual scores were significantly associated with SVR but were less striking in patients with lower depression scores.


CONCLUSIONS
Achievement of SVR after peginterferon/ribavirin therapy improves HRQOL and sexual health in chronic hepatitis C patients with advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis.
Bonkovsky
Herbert L
HL
Liver-Biliary-Pancreatic Center and the Department of Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, USA. bonkovsky@uchc.edu
Snow
Kristin K
KK
Malet
Peter F
PF
Back-Madruga
Carla
C
Fontana
Robert J
RJ
Sterling
Richard K
RK
Kulig
Clark C
CC
Di Bisceglie
Adrian M
AM
Morgan
Timothy R
TR
Dienstag
Jules L
JL
Ghany
Marc G
MG
Gretch
David R
DR
D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018450:Disease Progression; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology* / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D020018:Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological / Q000209:etiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012254:Ribavirin