Depression and Suicide Ideation in Chronic Hepatitis C Patients Untreated and Treated with Interferon: Prevalence, Prevention, and Treatment

Overview

Journal Ann Gastroenterol

Specialty Gastroenterology

Date 2015 Oct 2

PMID 26424594

Citations 19

Authors

Laura A Lucaciu

Dan L Dumitrascu

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Interferon-based therapies were until recently the standard of care in chronic hepatitis C (CHC), despite their side effects. We aimed to review the available data on the depression and suicide in CHC patients receiving or not antiviral therapy based on interferon treatment. A PubMed search was performed, identifying relevant papers published between 1991 and January 2015 concerning major depressive disorders and suicidal risk in patients under interferon. A total of 21 relevant papers were retrieved. Prospective studies reported depression as the most common side effect of interferon, with an incidence peak between weeks 8 and 12 of therapy. Suicide risk was analyzed in 7 of the reviewed articles, and case reports of attempted suicide were discussed. Moreover, studies have shown that pretreatment with serotonin reuptake inhibitors is a good strategy for the prevention of interferon-induced depression.

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