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Published on: December 15, 2023

Health-related quality of life in patients with chronic hepatitis B

Silvia Bondini1, Jillian Kallman, Amy Dan

  • 1Center for Liver Diseases, Inova Fairfax Hospital, Fairfax, VA, USA.

Liver International : Official Journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver
|September 12, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Patients with chronic hepatitis B (CH-B) report better health-related quality of life (HRQL) than those with chronic hepatitis C (CH-C) or primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). However, CH-B patients show lower utility scores than the general population.

Area of Science:

  • Hepatology
  • Quality of Life Research
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Chronic hepatitis C (CH-C) is known to impair health-related quality of life (HRQL).
  • The impact of chronic hepatitis B (CH-B) on HRQL remains less understood.
  • Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is another chronic liver condition affecting patient well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare HRQL across patients with CH-B, CH-C, and PBC.
  • To evaluate HRQL in these patient groups against healthy controls.
  • To identify factors influencing HRQL in chronic liver disease.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective administration of three HRQL questionnaires: Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire (CLDQ), Short Form 36 (SF-36), and Health Utility Index (HUI).
  • Inclusion of 146 patients with CH-B, CH-C, and PBC.
  • Statistical analysis using analysis of variance and multiple regression.

Main Results:

  • CH-C and PBC patients reported significantly lower HRQL across all measured domains compared to CH-B patients and healthy controls.
  • CH-B patients' HRQL scores were comparable to the healthy population on most CLDQ and SF-36 scales.
  • While CH-B patients' overall utility scores were lower than population norms, they demonstrated better HRQL than CH-C and PBC patients.

Conclusions:

  • Chronic hepatitis B is associated with better HRQL outcomes compared to chronic hepatitis C and primary biliary cirrhosis.
  • Despite better HRQL than other liver conditions, chronic hepatitis B patients exhibit reduced overall utility scores relative to the general population.
  • The presence of CH-B and absence of cirrhosis are key predictors of utility and HRQL scores.
Abstract

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