Evaluation of anxiety and depression in chronic liver disease patients.

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the risk factors of anxiety and depression in chronic liver disease patients
Methodology: In this longitudinal study seven hundred fifty-five patients (mean age 51+ 5 years, 59% males). All the patients were suffering from chronic hepatitis B, chronic Hepatitis C, Alcoholic liver disease and non-alcoholic fatty stomach disease. Questionnaires were included anxiety, using the Hamilton depressing rating scale (HDRS) and Hamilton anxiety scale (HARS), including socio-demographic, health status and family support. The criteria for inclusion in the study were having liver disease from last 15 months. Clinical functional and psychological assessments were performed.
Results: In this study patients with depression was 59.3%, with anxiety 17.4% patients and both anxiety and depression were noted in 36.7% patients. After measuring and calculating all the variables score of depression and anxiety were recorded. A higher HDRS score was noted in patients older than 46 years (p=0.024). Patients with gastrointestinal bleeding had a prominent higher score of anxiety than those without bleeding (p=0.019). A higher HARS score was present in the women (p=0.011), unemployed patients (p=0.009) and those with alcoholic liver disease (p=0.006). There was direct correlation between the duration of disease and the value of HDRA and HARS score.
Conclusion: In the chronic liver disease patients’ depression and anxiety are increasingly high with passage of time, gastrointestinal bleeding and unemployment. Increased prevalence of relax by patients are more likely to be due to the low acceptance of disease prognosis.