Psychological relief is the most important benefit of a hepatitis C cure for patients

Psychological relief is the most important benefit of a hepatitis C cure for patients
Roger Pebody Published: 13 September 2018
When asked to describe what their hepatitis C cure meant to them, Australians who had recently completed treatment emphasised an improved sense of psychological wellbeing, according to a qualitative study recently published in Hepatology, Medicine and Policy.

They described their relief about no longer fearing the development of liver disease or cancer, or of infecting others. Interviewees who had a history of injecting drug use understood their cure as a way to break the connection with their past.

Jacqueline Richmond of La Trobe University and colleagues recruited people who had achieved a sustained virological response 12 weeks after completing treatment (SVR12) in order to be interviewed about their experience of treatment and of cure. All participants were recruited from clinics in Melbourne, Australia between October 2016 and April 2017. The interviews were conducted during an early phase of the roll-out of direct acting antiviral (DAA) treatment in Australia; those interviewed are therefore likely to be ‘early adopters’ who may have been more motivated and enthusiastic than some other people who are eligible for treatment.

Continue reading: http://www.infohep.org/Psychological-relief-is-the-most-important-benefit-of-a-hepatitis-C-cure-for-patients/page/3336165/

Article source:

Richmond JA et al. Achieving a hepatitis C cure: a qualitative exploration of the experiences and meanings of achieving a hepatitis C cure using the direct acting antivirals in Australia. Hepatology, Medicine and Policy 3:8, 2018. (Full text freely available.)