Abstract

REI, Andreia; ROCHA, Marta  and  PEDROTO, Isabel. Health-Related Quality of Life in Portuguese Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C. GE Port J Gastroenterol [online]. 2017, vol.24, n.2, pp.68-78. ISSN 2341-4545.  https://doi.org/10.1159/000450875.

Introduction: Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection impacts multiple health and psychosocial dimensions and encompasses a significant overall burden as it progresses to advanced stages of hepatic disease. Aims: To evaluate for the first time health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of a subset of Portuguese adult patients with chronic hepatitis C using the Portuguese versions of generic, Short-Form 12 Health Survey (SF-12v2), and disease-specific, Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire (CLDQ), instruments; to assess psychometric properties of CLDQ, Portuguese version. Methods: HRQoL was evaluated in Portuguese adult outpatients with chronic hepatitis C attending the Hepatology Clinic at Centro Hospitalar do Porto, using SF-12v2 and CLDQ. This transversal study was conducted between April and October 2015. Results: Eighty outpatients with chronic hepatitis C were enrolled, with mean age 57 years (standard deviation 11), 67.5% male, all Caucasian, 76.3% diagnosed for >10 years, 66.3% with C virus genotype 1, 65.0% with hepatic cirrhosis (94.2% of which Child-Pugh A), and 46.3% under current antiviral treatment. For CLDQ internal consistency, Cronbach’s α was 0.88; for construct validity, correlations ranged from 0.36 to 0.80 ( p < 0.01). Mean CLDQ scores ranged from 4.25 (Worry) to 5.78 (Abdominal Symptoms). Lower scores were observed for Worry, Fatigue, and Emotional Function domains. Statistically significant differences were found in median values of Worry (CLDQ) and Role Emotional (SF-12) ( p < 0.05) for “current antiviral treatment,” with higher scores for patients that concluded therapy. Conclusion: HRQoL was negatively affected in several domains in Portuguese patients with chronic hepatitis C; oral antiviral treatment correlated with better quality of life, assuring its benefits on this population; the CLDQ Portuguese version revealed adequate psychometric properties, and was useful in assessing quality of life in Portuguese HCV patients.

Keywords : Health surveys; Hepatitis C, chronic; Portugal; Psychometrics; Quality of life.

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