Psychiatric Morbidity and its Effect on the Quality of Life of Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C

Objective:The primary aim of our study was to determine the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in a cohort of consecutive chronic hepatitis patients not receiving antiviral therapy. The secondary aim of our study was to determine if psychiatric morbidity, type of hepatitis, and the level of depression correlated with health-related quality of life (HRQL).Methods:The study was conducted in collaboration with Hepatology and Infectious Disease Clinics at three-major university hospitals. One hundred seven patients who met the criteria for being diagnosed with either chronic hepatitis B or C, had non-cirrhotic compensated liver disease, had not received antiviral treatment in the preceding 6 months, and had no accompanying physical illness were included in the study. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders, the Short Form — 36 for measuring HRQL, and semi-structured interviews for assessing psychosocial variables were used. Sixty-seven healthy adults formed the control group.Results:43....