ISSN 2736-1756
Advanced Journal of Microbiology Research ISSN 2241-9837 Vol. 13 (5), pp. 001-006, May, 2019. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Evaluation of psychiatric morbidity and quality of life in inactive HbsAg carriers
Abdulkadir Küçükbayrak1*, Fatih Canan2, Aytekin Alçelik3, Gülali Akta3, Esra Koçoğlu4 and Tekin Ta4
1Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Abant Izzet Baysal University Bolu, Turkey.
2Clinic of Psychiatry, Bolu Izzet Baysal Mental Health Hospital, Bolu, Turkey.
3Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Abant Izzet Baysal University, Bolu, Turkey.
4Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Abant Izzet Baysal University, Bolu, Turkey.
Accepted 22 March, 2019
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection develops in forms from asymptomatic carrier to cirrhosis. There are several studies examining the quality of life of patients with HBV in literature. However, only two studies have investigated the psychiatric morbidity in hepatitis B patients. In this study, we evaluated psychiatric morbidity and quality of life in inactive HbsAg carriers. This case-controlled study was performed among 26 healthy volunteers as control group and 31 inactive HbsAg carriers. Seven (22.5%) of our Hepatitis B patients were found to have an Axis I psychiatric diagnosis. For the carriers, the diagnoses made were major depression (3 patients), major depression with conversion disorder (1 patient), moderate depressive disorder (1 patient), cyclothymic disorder (1 patient), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (1 patient). No significant difference was found between carriers and controls in terms of quality of life scores and anxiety and depression scores. According to these findings, the patients with hepatitis should undergo psychiatric evaluation by a specialist. Also, physicians should be aware that emotional and psychiatric support is not necessary for all of the patients with hepatitis B.
Key words: Inactive HbsAg carrier, psychiatric morbidity, quality of life.