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Fatigue and psychological disorders in chronic hepatitis C
Author(s) -
MCDONALD JENNIFER,
JAYASURIYA ROHAN,
BINDLEY PATRICIA,
GONSALVEZ CRAIG,
GLUSESKA SONJA
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of gastroenterology and hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.214
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1440-1746
pISSN - 0815-9319
DOI - 10.1046/j.1440-1746.2002.02669.x
Subject(s) - medicine , somatization , hostility , anxiety , depression (economics) , chronic fatigue , liver biopsy , hepatitis c , liver disease , chronic hepatitis , hepatitis , disease , chronic liver disease , psychiatry , chronic fatigue syndrome , clinical psychology , biopsy , immunology , cirrhosis , virus , economics , macroeconomics
Background and Aim Most patients with chronic hepatitis C report that they suffer from fatigue. The aim of this study was to determine if the symptom of fatigue can be a guide to indicate disease activity in chronic hepatitis C, or if it is related to psychological factors. Methods 115 chronic hepatitis C patients attending a liver clinic at Wollongong Hospital, Wollongong, Australia, were asked to fill out a questionnaire on the functional impact of their fatigue, and a questionnaire on psychological parameters. These were correlated with a history of intravenous drug use, alcohol history, transaminase levels and liver biopsy findings. Results Fatigue weakly correlated with the level of fibrosis on the liver biopsy, but strongly correlated with all the psychological domains of depression, anxiety, somatization, interpersonal sensitivity and hostility. Conclusion The level of fatigue strongly correlated with all the psychological domains, particularly depression, and not with our measures of disease activity.