Global Advanced Research Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences (GARJMMS) ISSN: 2315-5159
September 2018, Vol. 7(7), pp. 139-144
Copyright © 2018 Global Advanced Research Journals

Full Length Research Article

Impact of interferon free therapy on the quality of life of the patients with virus C chronic hepatitis

Angelica Nela Stavar^1,2*, Irina Magdalena Dumitru^1,3, Sorin Rugina^1,3 and Tatiana Adam^1,2

¹“Ovidius” University of Constanta, Faculty of Medicine”
²Clinical Emergency Hospital of Constanta County,
³Infectious Diseases Hospital of Constanta County

*Corresponding Author E-mail: angel.stavar@yahoo.com

Accepted 14 September, 2018

Abstract

The infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of chronic liver diseases, with approximately 71,000,000 chronically infected persons worldwide. Medical care for patients with a liver disease associated with HCV has advanced considerably due to a consolidated understanding of the physiopathology of the disease, as well as due to the evolution of the diagnosis procedures and to the improvement of therapy and prevention. The combined therapy with pegINF and Ribavirina is limited both by effectiveness and by tolerability, due to the adverse reactions that appear along with the increase of the number of therapy weeks, thereby affecting the quality of life and the prognosis of the liver disease. The study aims at evaluating the quality of life of patients with chronic viral hepatitis C under interferon free treatment (Viekirax – Exviera). We have undertaken a prospective study on a group of 54 patients, where of 30 patients treated with interferon free regimens and 24 patients (control group) represented by patients who were completely evaluated but were not included in the treatment because they did not meet the eligibility criteria according to the protocol. The quality of life during therapy was evaluated by using the SF-LDQOL questionnaire in its abbreviated version, which allows for evaluating the main components of the quality of life related to health, “symptoms of liver disease”, “consequences of liver disease”, and “problems related to the disease”. Following the analysis and the interpretation of the questionnaire used, we found that the patients who did not receive the treatment presented more frequently a psychosocial unbalance (social activities), psychoemotional (the stigmata of the liver disease, life hope, sadness) and loss of interest for the sexual activity. In the case of patients treated with interferon free regimens we found an improvement of the quality of life for the whole duration of the therapy, this being correlated, especially, with drug interactions that were limited or easily manageable and had minimal adverse effects. During the study, these patients presented an increase of the psychoemotional, psychosocial balance, and the sexual activity was not influenced. As far as the quality of life is concerned, the interferon free therapy proves is effectiveness and imposes as first option therapy, especially in patients with psychoemotional unbalances. 

Keywords: Hepatitis C virus; Interferon-free regimen; Liver cirrhosis; Health related quality of life.

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