Efficiency and Tolerability of Interferon Free Therapy - Positive Impact on the Quality of Life of Patients with Chronic Viral Hepatitis C

Abstract

Introduction. The infection with hepatitis C (HCV) is a major cause of chronic liver diseases, with approximately 71,000.000 chronically infected persons worldwide. Material and methods. This study includes the results of the evaluation of the quality of life of patients with chronic hepatic diseases, on a group of 122 patients divided into two lots. The study period was January 2020 - december 2022. Our aim was to study the impact of the antiviral therapy on the patients quality of life before and after the interferon free antiviral therapy, as well as to study the quality of life of the patients with chronic viral hepatitis C who did not receive interferon free antiviral therapy because they did not meet the eligibility criteria, but accepted to participate in the study. Results. Following the analysis and the interpretation of the questionnaire used, we found that the patients who did not receive the treatment presented more frequently a psychosocial unbalance (social activities), psychoemotional and loss of interest for the sexual activity. In the case of patients treated with interferon free regimens we found an improvement of the quality of the whole duration of the therapy, this being correlated, especially, with drug interaction that were limited or easily manageable and had minimal adverse effects, increasing psychoemotional, balance, and the sexual activity was not influenced. Conclusions. The results of our study indicate that the patients who were treated with the antiviral interferon free therapy become aware the fact that the problems related to the chronic hepatic disease are solvable, which influences the quality of life in a positive way.