Hepatitis C virus infection as a traumatic experience

How meaning in life and vitality are associated with posttrauma outcomes: A systematic review

When confronted with a traumatic event, people may suffer from adverse posttraumatic outcomes, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or complex PTSD (CPTSD). Positive psychology research has shown that meaning in life and vitality are potentially correlated protective factors against negative developments following trauma exposure that can lead to PTSD or CPTSD. This systematic review aimed to synthesize global empirical research findings, emphasizing the impact of meaning in life and vitality on both PTSD and CPTSD. A search of empirical studies was performed within the Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science core collection databases, as well as PsycInfo, using the PRISMA checklist. A total of 29 studies were included after a systematic exclusion process. The collective findings from 22 studies examining meaning in life and five studies focusing on vitality revealed a consistent negative association with symptoms of PTSD. No study that explored the associations among meaning in life, vitality, and CPTSD was found. In contrast to vitality, meaning in life has been extensively studied in relation to traumatic stress worldwide, and few discrepancies in results were found. This systematic review identified the need to intensify scientific efforts in capitalizing on meaning in life as a possible target for psychological interventions, especially for trauma survivors globally, and to consider vitality as a protective factor that needs more empirical attention in relation to posttraumatic stress. Furthermore, there is a need for studies that encompass diverse target samples and employ longitudinal study design to examine the associations between protective factors and CPTSD.

Direct antiviral agents for chronic hepatitis C virus infection improve health-related quality of life significantly in the long term

Introduction

Direct antiviral agents (DAAs) are new drugs for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. These drugs are very effective and well tolerated. HCV can cause liver disease as well as extrahepatic manifestations, including a profound negative impact on health-related quality of life (HRQL).

Aim of the study

To evaluate HRQL in the long term (> 6 months after finishing treatment) after successful treatment with DAAs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that evaluates quality of life in the long term after DAA treatment.

Material and methods

This is an observational study which included 100 patients treated with DAAs for chronic HCV infection between January 2015 and August 2018. Patients were assigned randomly. The average time after finishing treatment was 29.96 months. The Liver Disease Symptom Index (LDSI) 2.0 Questionnaire was used to evaluate quality of life before and after treatment.

Results

Seven of 9 parameters of the LDSI 2.0 Questionnaire showed significant improvement in the long term after successful treatment with DAAs. Two parameters (arthralgia and jaundice) did not improve significantly. Quality of life improved in both males and females similarly. Improvement did not correlate with the severity of liver fibrosis.

Conclusions

Treatment with DAAs improves HRQL significantly in the long term.

PTSD as an Endothelial Disease: Insights From COVID-19

SARS-CoV-2 virus, the etiologic agent of COVID-19, has affected almost every aspect of human life, precipitating stress-related pathology in vulnerable individuals. As the prevalence rate of posttraumatic stress disorder in pandemic survivors exceeds that of the general and special populations, the virus may predispose to this disorder by directly interfering with the stress-processing pathways. The SARS-CoV-2 interactome has identified several antigens that may disrupt the blood-brain-barrier by inducing premature senescence in many cell types, including the cerebral endothelial cells. This enables the stress molecules, including angiotensin II, endothelin-1 and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1, to aberrantly activate the amygdala, hippocampus, and medial prefrontal cortex, increasing the vulnerability to stress related disorders. This is supported by observing the beneficial effects of angiotensin receptor blockers and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors in both posttraumatic stress disorder and SARS-CoV-2 critical illness. In this narrative review, we take a closer look at the virus-host dialog and its impact on the renin-angiotensin system, mitochondrial fitness, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor. We discuss the role of furin cleaving site, the fibrinolytic system, and Sigma-1 receptor in the pathogenesis of psychological trauma. In other words, learning from the virus, clarify the molecular underpinnings of stress related disorders, and design better therapies for these conditions. In this context, we emphasize new potential treatments, including furin and bromodomains inhibitors.

Quality of life in patients with hepatitis C. Importance of treatment

Chronic hepatitis C virus infection is a systemic disease that impairs the quality of life of affected individuals. The impairment is not only due to physiological factors, such as the non-hepatic manifestations of the disease or certain symptoms such as fatigue, weakness and nausea, but is also due to the substantial psychological impact of the infection. Treatment with direct-acting antivirals (DAA) has been demonstrated to substantially improve patient's quality of life, starting in the initial phases. Supplement information: This article is part of a supplement entitled "The value of simplicity in hepatitis C treatment", which is sponsored by Gilead. © 2019 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

The role of stigma and trauma in hepatitis C virus treatment in veterans: Applying the common-sense model

Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), a blood borne pathogen capable of causing severe liver disease, disproportionately affects veterans in the United States. While there are antiviral medications to treat HCV, stigma and trauma in this population may lead to avoidance of care. Those veterans who do undergo treatment have certain illness representations about HCV and its treatment. They undergo treatment even while facing stigma and trauma. The Common-Sense Model may be useful in elucidating how such representations, when matched to an appropriate illness prototype, may inform an action plan of how to respond to HCV. An exploration of the illness representations among veterans with HCV, and the effects of stigma and trauma on these representations, may help to explain how they exercise the choice to undergo treatment and may inform interventions to encourage treatment in veterans who have yet to do so.

Mental and physical health-related quality of life in patients with hepatitis C is related to baseline comorbidities and improves only marginally with hepatitis C cure

The objective of the study was to analyze the relationship between patient characteristics and the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among patients with hepatitis C at the start of treatment, 2–12 weeks of treatment and ≥3 months post treatment using Short-Form 36 (SF-36). The eight domains and two composite scores of SF-36 were analyzed using 236 individuals. Compared to US general population norms, on average, the physical health scores were significantly lower for the studied hepatitis C population, while the differences related to mental health were between zero and small. For a physical health composite score, the treatment effect was between medium and large (0.70, 0.66, and 0.64 at the baseline and follow-ups), and for a mental health composite score it was close to zero. After controlling for demographic factors, the mixed-effects models demonstrated that HRQoL significantly improved only for general health during the treatment and vitality during post treatment. The strongest predictor of HRQoL at the two follow-up periods was HRQoL at baseline of the same domain. The ordinal logistic regressions showed that at the baseline, the strongest negative predictors of HRQoL in most of the domains were hypertension, diabetes, high BMI, high number of comorbidities including pulmonary comorbidities, low hemoglobin, and public health insurance. Considering that the improvement in HRQoL sustained after treatment only for a mental (vitality) domain, the main determinants of quality of life of the patients with hepatitis C were comorbidities.

Risk-taking behavior and impulsivity among HCV-infected patients

The association between risk behaviors and hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been extensively studied. It is also proved that impulsivity is associated with risk behaviors. However, there is a lack of studies investigating the association between HCV and impulsivity, a characteristic that can contribute directly to these risk behaviors. This study aimed to investigate HCV-infected individuals' impulsivity and whether this feature mediates risk behavior. Adult patients with liver diseases (n=269) were divided into two groups: viral group (n=157) - patients with HCV and nonviral group (n=112). Risk behaviors were evaluated by a sociodemographic questionnaire. Impulsivity was assessed through Barratt Impulsiveness Scale - BIS-11. Psychiatric comorbidities were investigated by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview 5.0.0. The viral group patients had higher impulsivity than the nonviral group in all domains: attentional impulsivity, motor impulsivity, and nonplanning. Risk behaviors were also shown to be associated with impulsivity levels. Our results suggest that HCV-infected patients are more impulsive than individuals with other liver diseases, even when analyses are controlled for the presence of comorbid mental disorders. In addition, at-risk behavior was significantly mediated by impulsivity.

Chronic Hepatitis C: An Overview of Evidence on Epidemiology and Management from a Brazilian Perspective

Chronic hepatitis C remains one of the main causes of chronic liver disease worldwide and presents a variable natural history ranging from minimal changes to advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis and its complications, such as development of hepatocellular carcinoma. Approximately, 1.45 million people are estimated to be infected by HCV in Brazil representing a major public health issue. The aim of this paper was to review the epidemiology and management of chronic hepatitis C from a Brazilian perspective. The management of chronic hepatitis C has been challenged by the use of noninvasive methods to stage liver fibrosis as an alternative to liver biopsy and the high cost of new interferon-free antiviral treatments. Moreover, the need of cost-effectiveness analysis in hepatitis C and the recent changes in treatment protocols were discussed.

Improvement of health-related quality of life and work productivity in chronic hepatitis C patients with early and advanced fibrosis treated with ledipasvir and sofosbuvir

BACKGROUND & AIMS

New interferon-free anti-HCV regimens are highly efficacious with a favorable safety profile. We assessed health-related quality of life (HRQL) and work productivity in patients with different stages of hepatic fibrosis treated with sofosbuvir+ledipasvir.

METHODS

Four questionnaires [Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire-HCV (CLDQ-HCV), Short Form-36 (SF-36), Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F), Work Productivity and Activity Index:Specific Health Problem (WPAI:SHP)] were administered at baseline, during, and after treatment with sofosbuvir+ledipasvir+ribavirin or sofosbuvir+ledipasvir (ION-1,2,3 clinical trials). Metavir fibrosis stage was determined from pre-treatment liver biopsies.

RESULTS

There were 1005 patients included (stage F0: n=94; F1: n=311; F2: n=301; F3: n=197; F4: n=102). At baseline, patients with more advanced fibrosis had more HRQL impairments, predominantly related to physical functioning (stage 0 vs. stage 4 by up to 0.126 on a normalized 0-1 scale p<0.0001). During and post-treatment, HRQL remained lower in patients with advanced fibrosis. After achieving sustained virologic response, significant improvements from baseline in most HRQL domains were observed regardless of fibrosis stage (by 0.024-0.103 on a 0-1 scale; all p>0.05 across fibrosis stages). In multivariate analysis, advanced fibrosis was independently associated with impairment of HRQL and work productivity (beta up to -0.056 in comparison with none-to-mild fibrosis, p<0.05). However, improvement of HRQL and work productivity after viral clearance was not related to the stage of fibrosis (all p>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Although advanced hepatic fibrosis is associated with HRQL and work productivity impairment, viral eradication with sofosbuvir+ledipasvir leads to HRQL improvement regardless of fibrosis stage. HCV patients with early fibrosis experience similar improvement of patient reported outcomes as those with advanced fibrosis.

Psychiatric Disorders in HTLV-1-Infected Individuals with Bladder Symptoms

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have reported high rates of depression and anxiety in HTLV-1 infected individuals with the neurological disease and in the asymptomatic phase. No study has investigated the rates in individuals that already show bladder symptoms without severe neurological changes; that is, during the oligosymptomatic phase. The present study investigated patients in this intermediate form on the spectrum of the infection.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

Participants answered a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview Brazilian Version 5.0.0 (MINI PLUS) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Data analysis was performed in STATA statistical software (version 12.0). Depressive disorder was the most frequent comorbidity. Current depressive disorder was higher in the group of overactive bladder subjects (11.9%), and lifelong depression was more frequent in the HAM/TSP group (35%). The three groups had similar frequencies of anxiety disorders. Increased frequency and severity of anxiety and depression symptoms were observed in the overactive bladder group.

CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE

The results suggest that individuals with overactive bladders need a more thorough assessment from the mental health perspective. These patients remain an understudied group regarding psychiatric comorbidities.