Hepatitis C virus infection as a traumatic experience

PLoS One. 2014 Oct 23;9(10):e110529. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0110529. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether individuals consider their HCV infection to be a potentially traumatic experience. Additionally, we investigated its association with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the impact of PTSD diagnosis on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in HCV infected subjects.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 127 HCV-infected outpatients recruited at a University Hospital in Salvador, Brazil. All subjects answered an orally-administered questionnaire to gather clinical and socio-demographic data. We investigated traumatic experiences and the subject's perception of the disease using the Trauma History Questionnaire. PTSD and other psychiatric diagnoses were assessed through the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview-Brazilian Version 5.0.0 (M.I.N.I. PLUS). HRQoL was assessed using Short-Form 36 (SF-36).

Results: Approximately 38.6% of the patients considered hepatitis C to be a traumatic experience. Of these, 60.7% had a PTSD diagnosis. PTSD was associated with significant impairment in quality of life for individuals in seven SF-36 domains as shown bymultivariate analysis: Role-Physical (β: -24.85; 95% CI: -42.08; -7.61), Bodily Pain (β: -19.36; 95% CI: -31.28; -7.45), General Health (β: -20.79; 95% CI: -29.65; -11.92), Vitality (β: -11.92; 95% CI: -20.74; -3.1), Social Functioning (β: -34.73; 95% CI: -46.79; -22.68), Role-Emotional (β: -26.07; 95% CI: -44.61; -7.53), Mental Health (β: -17.46; 95% CI: -24.38; -10.54).

Conclusion: HCV is frequently a traumatic experience and it is strongly associated with PTSD diagnosis. PTSD significantly impaired HRQoL.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Brazil
  • Demography
  • Female
  • Hepacivirus / physiology*
  • Hepatitis C, Chronic / psychology*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Quality of Life
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / psychology
  • Stress, Psychological / psychology*
  • Young Adult

Grants and funding

This project was partially supported by the National Council of Technological and Scientific Development (CNPq): [474869/2010-5] - Edital Universal MCT/CNPq 14/2010. The rest of the funding (totalizing 100% with the funding above) was supported by the scholarships of the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Level Personnel (CAPES) of the following authors: Mychelle Morais-de-Jesus; Karine Miranda Pettersen; Adriana Dantas-Duarte; Patrícia Cavalcanti-Ribeiro; and Liana R. Netto. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.