The aim of the study was to describe describe the frequency of depressive symptoms and episodes accompanying peg-interferon alpha and ribavirin (peg-IFN-alpha/RBV) treatment of chronic hepatitis C patients (CHC).
Material methods: 47 CHC patients were enrolled in the study. They were divided into two groups: experimental and control consisting of 26 and 21 participants, respectively. Experimental group patients were given peg-IFN-alpha/RBV2a (n = 18) or 2b (n = 9) and ribavirin treatment in doses recommended by manufacturers. Control group patients did not receive the above treatment. Both groups underwent psychiatric examination using semi-structured clinical interview (MINI) at the beginning (t0) and after 12 weeks of treatment or observation (t12). Depressive episodes were diagnosed according to ICD-10 criteria. Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) was used to assess depressive symptoms intensity at the same time points.
Results: Three and two participants in the control and experimental group were diagnosed with depression in t0. Six new patients developed depression in t12 twelve weeks after peg-IFN-alpha/RBV treatment. No new cases were seen in the control group. There was also observed a significant increase in depressive symptoms intensity during peg-IFN-alpha/RBV treatment. No significant changes in the frequency of depressive episodes and their intensity were seen in the control group over the period of observation.
Conclusions: The findings suggest a connection between peg-IFN-alpha/RBV therapy and the development of depressive symptoms and episodes. The above changes may be the effect of IFN-alpha-induced neurotransmission abnormalities in limbic system and basal ganglia. The above findings necessitate a routine psychiatrist involvement in the management of CHC.