TY  - JOUR
A1  - Bezemer, Geert
A1  - van Gool, Arthur R.
A1  - Verheij-Hart, Elke
A1  - Hansen, Bettina E.
A1  - Lurie, Yoav
A1  - Esteban, Juan I.
A1  - Lagging, Martin
A1  - Negro, Francesco
A1  - Zeuzem, Stefan
A1  - Ferrari, Carlo
A1  - Pawlotsky, Jean-Michel
A1  - Neumann, Avidan U.
A1  - Schalm, Solko Walle
A1  - Knegt, Robert Jacobus de
T1  - Long-term effects of treatment and response in patients with chronic hepatitis C on quality of life : an international, multicenter, randomized, controlled study
T2  - BMC gastroenterology
N2  - Background: Hepatitis C decreases health related quality of life (HRQL) which is further diminished by antiviral therapy. HRQL improves after successful treatment. This trial explores the course of and factors associated with HRQL in patients given individualized or standard treatment based on early treatment response (Ditto-study).
Methods: The Short Form (SF)-36 Health Survey was administered at baseline (n = 192) and 24 weeks after the end of therapy (n = 128).
Results: At baseline HRQL was influenced by age, participating center, severity of liver disease and income. Exploring the course of HRQL (scores at follow up minus baseline), only the dimension general health increased. In this dimension patients with a relapse or sustained response differed from non-responders. Men and women differed in the dimension bodily pain. Treatment schedule did not influence the course of HRQL.
Conclusions: Main determinants of HRQL were severity of liver disease, age, gender, participating center and response to treatment. Our results do not exclude a more profound negative impact of individualized treatment compared to standard, possibly caused by higher doses and extended treatment duration in the individualized group. Antiviral therapy might have a more intense and more prolonged negative impact on females.
KW  - health related quality of life
KW  - hepatitis C
KW  - peginterferon
Y1  - 2012
UR  - http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/24065
UR  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-240657
SN  - 1471-230X
VL  - 12
IS  - 11
PB  - BioMed Central
CY  - London
ER  -