Impact of Hepatitis C on Quality of Life

Abstract

Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver causing destruction of liver tissues and it can be caused by various etiological factors, including hepatitis C. There is marked decline in the quality of life of hepatitis C patients which has been established by number of studies conducted worldwide. A prospective study was carried out among three thousand patients of hepatitis C. In it patients were regularly assessed physically & psychologically, before starting of treatment, during treatment, at end of treatment and when they came after six month of completion of treatment i.e. sustained virological response (SVR). The major aims of this study were to assess the quality of life of the patients suffering from hepatitis C, estimation of the patient compliance with the management methods, assessment of the patient satisfaction with the medicines, comparison of the quality of life of the suffering patients with their optimum health state and the comparison of the quality of life of the patients during and after the management/treatment of the disease. The study showed that the patients were not satisfied with their quality of life during their ailment whereas majority expressed that their quality of life improved after receiving medical treatment. In few patients who developed psychological symptoms like depression and anxiety due to Pegylated Interferon, required long term antidepressants and antianxiety drugs, even after successful completion of treatment and achievement of SVR.