Published online Mar 14, 2006. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v12.i10.1545
Revised: May 15, 2005
Accepted: June 9, 2005
Published online: March 14, 2006
AIM: To examine the psychological impact of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) diagnosis in a large cohort of CHC patients as compared with other stressful life events and chronic diseases carrying a risk of life-threatening complications.
METHODS: One hundred and eighty-five outpatients with compensated CHC were asked to self-grade, using a 100-mm visual analogue scale (VAS), the degree of stress caused by the learning of CHC diagnosis and the perceived severity of their disease. Diagnosis-related stress was compared to four other stressful life events and perceived CHC severity was compared to four other common chronic diseases.
RESULTS: Learning of CHC diagnosis was considered a major stressful event (mean ± SD scores: 72 ± 25), significantly less than death of a loved-one (89 ± 13, P < 0.0001) and divorce (78 ± 23, P < 0.007), but more than job dismissal (68 ± 30, P < 0.04) and home removal (26 ± 24, P < 0.0001). CHC was considered a severe disease (74 ± 19), after AIDS (94 ± 08, P < 0.001) and cancer (91 ± 11, P < 0.001), but before diabetes (66 ± 23, P < 0.001) and hypertension (62 ± 20, P < 0.001). Perceived CHC severity was not related to the actual severity of liver disease, assessed according to Metavir fibrosis score. In multivariate analysis, diagnosis-related stress was related to perceived disease severity (P < 0.001), trait anxiety (P < 0.001) and infection through blood transfusion (P < 0.001).
CONCLUSION: Our results show the considerable psychological and emotional burden that a diagnosis of CHC represents, even in the absence of significant liver disease. They should be taken into account when announcing a diagnosis of CHC in order to reduce its negative effects.