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Watchful waiting: role of disease progression on uncertainty and depressive symptoms in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Colagreco, JP; Bailey, DE; Fitzpatrick, JJ; Musil, CM; Afdhal, NH; Lai, M
Published in: Journal of viral hepatitis
October 2014

New therapies for HCV are rapidly emerging and providers are advising select patients to defer treatment and elect 'watchful waiting'. During the watchful waiting period, patients have been shown to have high rates of illness uncertainty and depression. We sought to answer the question of whether reassuring histological data (showing minimal fibrosis or no fibrosis progression over time) is associated with less illness uncertainty and depressive symptoms.This was a single-centre outpatient prospective cohort study to determine whether stage of fibrosis, fibrosis progression and reasons for treatment deferral were related to illness uncertainty and depressive symptoms in patients following watchful waiting.Illness uncertainty was significantly related to depressive symptoms (r = 0.49, P < 0.01). More than half of the participants (54%) had moderate levels of uncertainty. About 40% of the participants were at risk for clinical depression (21.7% at mild to moderate risk and 18.5% at high risk). Treatment naïve subjects had lower mean scores on both the CES-D (depressive symptoms measure) and the MUIS-A (illness uncertainty measure) total score, MUIS-A Ambiguity subscale and MUIS-A Inconsistency subscale than subjects who failed treatment or were interferon intolerant or ineligible. Surprisingly, liver fibrosis stage and progression were not significantly associated with overall illness uncertainty or depressive symptoms.Patients with chronic hepatitis C on watchful waiting are at high risk for significant illness uncertainty and depressive symptoms. Reassuring histological data does not seem to correlate with less uncertainty or depressive symptoms.

Duke Scholars

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Published In

Journal of viral hepatitis

DOI

EISSN

1365-2893

ISSN

1352-0504

Publication Date

October 2014

Volume

21

Issue

10

Start / End Page

727 / 733

Related Subject Headings

  • Uncertainty
  • Prospective Studies
  • Outpatients
  • Middle Aged
  • Male
  • Liver Cirrhosis
  • Humans
  • Hepatitis C, Chronic
  • Gastroenterology & Hepatology
  • Female
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
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Colagreco, J. P., Bailey, D. E., Fitzpatrick, J. J., Musil, C. M., Afdhal, N. H., & Lai, M. (2014). Watchful waiting: role of disease progression on uncertainty and depressive symptoms in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Journal of Viral Hepatitis, 21(10), 727–733. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvh.12207
Colagreco, J. P., D. E. Bailey, J. J. Fitzpatrick, C. M. Musil, N. H. Afdhal, and M. Lai. “Watchful waiting: role of disease progression on uncertainty and depressive symptoms in patients with chronic hepatitis C.Journal of Viral Hepatitis 21, no. 10 (October 2014): 727–33. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvh.12207.
Colagreco JP, Bailey DE, Fitzpatrick JJ, Musil CM, Afdhal NH, Lai M. Watchful waiting: role of disease progression on uncertainty and depressive symptoms in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Journal of viral hepatitis. 2014 Oct;21(10):727–33.
Colagreco, J. P., et al. “Watchful waiting: role of disease progression on uncertainty and depressive symptoms in patients with chronic hepatitis C.Journal of Viral Hepatitis, vol. 21, no. 10, Oct. 2014, pp. 727–33. Epmc, doi:10.1111/jvh.12207.
Colagreco JP, Bailey DE, Fitzpatrick JJ, Musil CM, Afdhal NH, Lai M. Watchful waiting: role of disease progression on uncertainty and depressive symptoms in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Journal of viral hepatitis. 2014 Oct;21(10):727–733.
Journal cover image

Published In

Journal of viral hepatitis

DOI

EISSN

1365-2893

ISSN

1352-0504

Publication Date

October 2014

Volume

21

Issue

10

Start / End Page

727 / 733

Related Subject Headings

  • Uncertainty
  • Prospective Studies
  • Outpatients
  • Middle Aged
  • Male
  • Liver Cirrhosis
  • Humans
  • Hepatitis C, Chronic
  • Gastroenterology & Hepatology
  • Female