J Clin Gastroenterol 2001;32(5):413-417. "Assessment of Fatigue and Psychologic Disturbances in Patients with Hepatitis C Virus Infection" 05/31/2001 08:22:19 AM
By Robert Short

The fatigue of chronic hepatitis C virus infection is more severe and difficult to treat, and is associated with greater feelings of anger and hostility than fatigue associated with other chronic non-liver diseases.

This was the conclusion of Dr. Jagdeep Obhari, Digestive Diseases section, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States.

Dr Obhari and colleagues studied 149 subjects who were divided into five groups: healthy controls; patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection; HCV infection combined with chronic alcohol abuse; alcoholic liver disease; and chronic non-liver diseases.

Total fatigue scores were higher in HCV-infected subjects than in any other group but this was not statistically significant. The fatigue with HCV infection did not improve with rest as effectively as in the other study groups.

Said Dr. Obhari, "The current study shows that fatigue and psychologic disturbances occur frequently in chronic diseases. The fatigue experienced by patients with HCV infection is more severe and intransigent and responds poorly to relieving factors."

He added that patients with HCV infection are more depressed and have greater feelings of anger and hostility compared with patients with non-liver chronic diseases.

Dr. Dobhari suggests that proper management of the psychological symptoms may have a favourable impact on the quality of life of patients with HCV infection.