L’infection par le virus de l’hépatite C altère-t-elle la qualité de vie des patients hémodialysés à Cotonou ?

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine a relation between hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and changes in the quality of life of patients with chronic renal failure undergoing haemodialysis in Cotonou.Patients and methodsThis prospective study was carried out in the Nephrology and Haemodialysis Unit of the National Teaching Hospital of Cotonou. It included 64 patients (43 men and 21 women) with a mean age of 50 ± 8.5 years. Four parameters were used to evaluate quality of life: fatigue and repercussions of current state of health on the patient’s social, professional and sexual lives. The diagnosis of hepatitis C infection was established by detecting the presence of anti-hepatitis C virus antibody using PCR.ResultsSeventeen patients (26.5%) were HVC infected. Impaired quality of life was noted in 54 (84.3%) of these patients. There were 45 cases of fatigue, 31 cases of changes in social life, and 31 cases of changes in professional life. Erectile dysfunction was noted in 29 cases. There was no difference between hepatitis C-infected and uninfected patients.ConclusionHepatitis C viral infection does not impair the quality of life in this population. The lack of chronic liver disease symptoms, ignorance of HVC infection status and the lack of antiviral treatment may explain these results. The administration of a specific questionnaire may help expand these explanations.