title: Depressive symptoms and harmful alcohol use in hepatitis C patients: prevalence and correlates.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It is important to understand the characteristics and vulnerabilities of people who have hepatitis C because this disease is currently an important public health problem. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of depressive symptoms and harmful alcohol use in patients with hepatitis C and to study the association between these outcomes and demographic, psychosocial and clinical variables.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study involved 82 hepatitis C patients who were being treated with pegylated interferon and ribavirin at a public university hospital. The primary assessments used in the study were the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test and the Beck Depression Inventory. Bivariate analyses were followed by logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 30.5% (n=25), and that of harmful alcohol use was 34.2% (n=28). Logistic regression analysis showed that individuals who were dissatisfied with their social support (OR=4.41; CI=1.00-19.33) and were unemployed (OR=6.31; CI=1.44-27.70) were at a higher risk for depressive symptoms, whereas harmful alcohol use was associated with the male sex (OR=6.78; CI=1.38-33.19) and the use of illicit substances (OR=7.42; CI=1.12-49.00).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High prevalence rates of depressive symptoms and harmful alcohol use were verified, indicating vulnerabilities that must be properly monitored and treated to reduce emotional suffering in this population.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Coletiva, Departamento de Neurologia, Psicologia e Psiquiatria, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Danusa de Almeida
authors.initials: Dde A
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Clínica Médica, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Giovanni Faria
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Coletiva, Departamento de Neurologia, Psicologia e Psiquiatria, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Albina Rodrigues
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Coletiva, Departamento de Neurologia, Psicologia e Psiquiatria, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Teresa de Abreu Ramos
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Cerqueira
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult