Extrait

Background and study aims Hepatitis is a disease which causes inflammation (swelling) of the liver, which is caused by a viral infection or long-term alcohol abuse. Hepatitis C is the most common type of viral hepatitis. In an infected person, the hepatitis C virus is particularly concentrated in the blood, and so it can is easily spread through blood-to-blood contact, such as sharing needles amongst drug abusers or receiving contaminated blood products in hospital. In the early stages (acute hepatitis) a person often has no symptoms, and so does not know that they are infected. This means that about 80% of infections are able to move to the long-lasting stage. Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is where a person has been infected for more than six months. Sufferers tend to feel extremely tired, achy and generally unwell. Left untreated, the infection causes the liver to become irreversibly scarred (cirrhosis) which can lead to liver failure. Many studies have shown that people suffering from CHC have a lower quality of life than a healthy person. As well as the physical symptoms, more than a third of people with CHC suffer from mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, which many find difficult to cope with. Problem solving therapy (PST) is a type of talking therapy which has been very effective in treating depression. It aims to teach people how to identify and solve their own problems without becoming stressed or upset. The aim of this study is to find out if PST can help improve the quality of life in patients suffering from CHC. Who can participate? Adults with a chronic hepatitis C infection. What does the study involve? Participants are randomly allocated to one of two groups. Those in the first group take part in weekly sessions of PST for seven weeks. During these sessions, participants are given a chance to talk about problems they experience in their day-to-day life and are taught techniques to help them solve these problems when they next face them. Participants in the second group are placed on a waiting list for the PST and do not receive any therapy. At the start of the study, after the final session and 6 months later, participants in both groups are asked to fill out a questionnaire to find out how they are coping and whether their quality of life has improved. After the final testing point (6 months after the last PST session), participants in the second group are given the chance to take part in PST. What are the possible benefits and risks of participating? Participants may benefit from an improvement to their quality of life. There are no risks of taking part in the study. Where is the study run from? Erasmus MC and seven other hospitals in the Netherlands. When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for? March 2007 to September 2010 Who is funding the study? 1. NutsOhra (Netherlands) 2. The Stomach-Liver-Bowel Foundation (Netherlands) Who is the main contact? Dr Annemerle Beerthuizen

Critère d'inclusion

• Chronic hepatitis C

Liens

• ictrp
• isrctn