Depression, cognitive function and quality of life in patients with chronic hepatitis C: effects of antiviral treatment

Introdução: Tanto o vírus da hepatite crônica C (VHC) quanto o tratamento antiviral estão associados a transtornos do humor, piora da função cognitiva e da qualidade de vida. Objetivos: avaliar os pacientes com hepatite crônica pelo VHC antes, durante e após o tratamento antiviral em relação aos seguintes aspectos: depressão maior e sintomas depressivos, função cognitiva e qualidade de vida. Métodos: estudo clínico, prospectivo, cujos critérios de inclusão foram: idade 18 a 70 anos; clinicamente compensados. Critérios de exclusão: uso ativo de substâncias psicoativas ilícitas; confusão mental; encefalopatia hepática e recusa em participar do estudo ou em receber terapia antiviral. Utilizamos os seguintes instrumentos: 1) Diagnóstico de depressão maior: entrevista estruturada Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders (PRIME-MD); 2) Sintomas depressivos: o Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). 3) Avaliação da qualidade de vida: questionários SF-36 e Liver Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire instrument (LDQOL). 4) Avaliação neuropsicológica: a) funções executivas - atenção seletiva e inibição (Stroop Teste Versão Victoria), atenção sustentada e alternada (Trail Making Test - partes A e B), fluência verbal fonológica (FAS) e fluência verbal semântica ou categórica. b) aprendizagem verbal e memória de longo-prazo (Hopkins Verbal Learning Test HVLT-R); c) memória de curtoprazo e memória operacional (Dígitos ordem direta e Dígitos de ordem inversa); d) teste de QI estimado. Os testes foram aplicados previamente ao início do tratamento, durante e após 6 meses do término do tratamento. Resultados: dos 78 pacientes avaliados, 36 completaram a avaliação de humor e qualidade de vida e 34, a avaliação neuropsicológica. Os 21 pacientes que completaram o tratamento foram considerados para análise final (n=16 com resposta virológica sustentada RVS e n=5, sem RVS). Quanto ao transtorno de humor, dentre os pacientes com RVS, observamos depressão maior em 9,5% antes do tratamento e 52,4% durante (p=0,012). Ao término do tratamento, a frequência reduziu-se a 6,3 % (p=1,0). Em relação aos sintomas depressivos, encontramos uma frequência de 19,1%, 62,0% e 25,0% antes, durante e após o tratamento, respectivamente. Diferença estatisticamente significante foi observada nas frequências antes e durante o tratamento (p=0,016). Dentre os 5 pacientes que cursaram sem RVS, um apresentou critério para depressão maior e 2 para sintomas depressivos. Quanto à função cognitiva, houve melhora no domínio da atenção seletiva (p=0,004) durante o tratamento. Ao seu término, houve melhora significante nos domínios: memória episódica verbal imediata (p=0,014), memória episódica verbal tardia (p=0,024), atenção seletiva (p=0,001) e fluência verbal fonológica (p=0,030). Comparando-se os pacientes com e sem RVS, observamos melhora significante nos domínios: memória episódica verbal imediata (p=0,045) e memória episódica verbal tardia (p=0,040). Em relação à qualidade de vida, houve piora significante da autopercepção em todos os domínios avaliados ao longo do tratamento, exceto no estado geral de saúde, no questionário SF-36. No questionário LDQOL, observou-se piora ao longo do tratamento nos domínios sintomas (p=0,000), efeitos da doença hepática (p=0,007), concentração (p=0,008), questões sociais (p=0,002) e função sexual (p=0,010). Ao término do tratamento, observou-se melhora significante nos domínios efeitos da doença hepática (p=0,024), preocupação com a doença (p=0,018) e estigma da doença hepática (p=0,008). Comparando-se os pacientes com e sem RVS, observamos melhora significante no domínio efeitos da doença hepática (p=0,005) naqueles pacientes com RVS. Conclusões: 1) Durante o tratamento, houve aumento da frequência de sintomas depressivos e de depressão maior, piora da qualidade de vida, sem haver piora importante dos domínios das funções cognitivas. 2) Ao término do tratamento, houve melhora do transtorno do humor, da função cognitiva (memória, atenção e fluência verbal) e da qualidade de vida. 3) Os pacientes que atingiram RVS apresentaram melhora da função cognitiva (memória) e da qualidade de vida quando comparados àqueles sem RVSBackground: Both chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) and antiviral therapy are associated with mood disorders, the deterioration of cognitive functions and worsening quality of life. Aims: To evaluate patients with chronic hepatitis C before, during and after antiviral treatment in relation to: major depression and depressive symptoms, cognitive function and quality of life. Methods: prospective study, whose inclusion criteria were: age between 18- 70 years; clinically compensated. Exclusion criteria: active use of illegal drugs; mental confusion; hepatic encephalopathy and refusal to participate or receive antiviral therapy. We used the following instruments: 1) Major depression diagnosis: Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders (PRIME-MD); 2) Depressive symptoms: the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). 3) Quality of life assessment: SF-36 and Liver Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire instrument (LDQOL). 4) Neuropsychological assessment: a) executive functions - selective attention and inhibition (Stroop Test Version Victoria), sustained and alternating attention (Trail Making Test - Parts A and B), phonological verbal fluency (FAS) and semantic verbal fluency or categorical. b) verbal learning and long-term memory (Hopkins Verbal Learning Test HVLT-R); c) short-term memory and working memory (Digits direct and reverse order of digits); d) estimated IQ test. The tests were applied before the start of treatment, during and after 6 months of the treatment. Results: of the 78 patients enrolled, 36 completed the mood disorder and quality of life workup and 34, the neuropsychological assessment. 21 patients who completed treatment were considered for final analysis (with sustained virologic response SVR n=16; without SVR n=5). As for the mood disorder among patients with SVR, we observed major depression in 9.5% before treatment, 52.4% for (p=0.012). After treatment, the frequency decreased to 6.3% (p=1.00). Regarding depressive symptoms, we found a frequency of 19.1%, 62.0% and 25.0% before, during and after treatment, respectively. Significant differences in frequency before and during treatment were observed (p=0.016). Among the 5 patients who did not achieve SVR, one fulfilled diagnostic criteria for major depression and 2 for depressive symptoms. Regarding cognitive function, there was an improvement in the field of selective attention (p=0.004) during treatment. Upon termination of treatment, there was a significant improvement in these domains: immediate verbal episodic memory (p=0.014), delayed verbal episodic memory (p=0.024), selective attention (p=0.001) and phonological verbal fluency (p=0.030). Comparing patients with and without SVR, we observed a significant improvement in these domains: immediate verbal episodic memory (p=0.045) and delayed verbal episodic memory (p=0.040). Regarding quality of life, there was a significant decline in self-perception in all domains assessed by the SF-36 questionnaire during treatment, except general health. The LDQOL questionnaire showed a worsening of the following domains during treatment: symptoms (p=0.000) effects of hepatic disease (p=0.007), concentration (p=0.008), social issues (p=0.002) and sexual function (p=0.010). After treatment, we observed a significant improvement in these domains: effects of hepatic disease (p=0.024), concern about the disease (p=0.018) and stigma of liver disease (p=0.008). Comparing patients with and without SVR, a significant improvement was evident in the effects of liver disease (p=0.005) in patients with SVR. Conclusions: 1) During treatment, there was an increase in the frequency of depressive symptoms and major depression, poor quality of life, with no significant deterioration of cognitive function domains. 2) After treatment, there was an improvement of mood, cognitive function (memory, attention and verbal fluency) and quality of life. 3) Patients who achieved SVR improved cognitive function (memory) and quality of life compared to those without SV

Hepatitis C virus eradication improves immediate and delayed episodic memory in patients treated with interferon and ribavirin

Abstract Background Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with impairment of cognitive function and mood disorders. Our aim was to evaluate the impact of sustained virological response (SVR) on cognitive function and mood disorders. Method A prospective exploratory one arm study was conducted. Adult clinically compensated HVC patients were consecutively recruited before treatment with interferon and ribavirin for 24 to 48 weeks, according to HCV genotype. Clinical, neurocognitive and mood assessments using the PRIME-MD and BDI instruments were performed at baseline, right after half of the expected treatment has been reached and 6 months after the end of antiviral treatment. Exclusion criteria were the use of illicit psychotropic substances, mental confusion, hepatic encephalopathy, hepatocellular carcinoma, severe anemia, untreated hypothyroidism, Addison syndrome and major depression before treatment. Results Thirty six patients were enrolled and 21 completed HCV treatment (n = 16 with SVR and n = 5 without). Regardless of the viral clearance at the end of treatment, there was a significant improvement in the immediate verbal episodic memory (p = 0.010), delayed verbal episodic memory (p = 0.007), selective attention (p < 0.001) and phonemic fluency (p = 0.043). Patients with SVR displayed significant improvement in immediate (p = 0.045) and delayed verbal episodic memory (p = 0.040) compared to baseline. The baseline frequency of depression was 9.5%, which rose to 52.4% during treatment, and returned to 9.5% 6 months after the end of treatment, without significant difference between patients with and without SVR. Depressive symptoms were observed in 19.1% before treatment, 62% during (p = 0.016) and 28.6% 6 months after the end of treatment (p = 0.719). Conclusions Eradication of HCV infection improved cognitive performance but did not affect the frequency of depressive symptoms at least in the short range

Hepatitis C virus eradication improves immediate and delayed episodic memory in patients treated with interferon and ribavirin

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with impairment of cognitive function and mood disorders. Our aim was to evaluate the impact of sustained virological response (SVR) on cognitive function and mood disorders. A prospective exploratory one arm study was conducted. Adult clinically compensated HVC patients were consecutively recruited before treatment with interferon and ribavirin for 24 to 48 weeks, according to HCV genotype. Clinical, neurocognitive and mood assessments using the PRIME-MD and BDI instruments were performed at baseline, right after half of the expected treatment has been reached and 6 months after the end of antiviral treatment. Exclusion criteria were the use of illicit psychotropic substances, mental confusion, hepatic encephalopathy, hepatocellular carcinoma, severe anemia, untreated hypothyroidism, Addison syndrome and major depression before treatment. Thirty six patients were enrolled and 21 completed HCV treatment (n = 16 with SVR and n = 5 without). Regardless of the viral clearance at the end of treatment, there was a significant improvement in the immediate verbal episodic memory (p = 0.010), delayed verbal episodic memory (p = 0.007), selective attention (p < 0.001) and phonemic fluency (p = 0.043). Patients with SVR displayed significant improvement in immediate (p = 0.045) and delayed verbal episodic memory (p = 0.040) compared to baseline. The baseline frequency of depression was 9.5%, which rose to 52.4% during treatment, and returned to 9.5% 6 months after the end of treatment, without significant difference between patients with and without SVR. Depressive symptoms were observed in 19.1% before treatment, 62% during (p = 0.016) and 28.6% 6 months after the end of treatment (p = 0.719). Eradication of HCV infection improved cognitive performance but did not affect the frequency of depressive symptoms at least in the short range.17122COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPESSem informaçã

At-admission prediction of mortality and pulmonary embolism in an international cohort of hospitalised patients with COVID-19 using statistical and machine learning methods

By September 2022, more than 600 million cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection have been reported globally, resulting in over 6.5 million deaths. COVID-19 mortality risk estimators are often, however, developed with small unrepresentative samples and with methodological limitations. It is highly important to develop predictive tools for pulmonary embolism (PE) in COVID-19 patients as one of the most severe preventable complications of COVID-19. Early recognition can help provide life-saving targeted anti-coagulation therapy right at admission. Using a dataset of more than 800,000 COVID-19 patients from an international cohort, we propose a cost-sensitive gradient-boosted machine learning model that predicts occurrence of PE and death at admission. Logistic regression, Cox proportional hazards models, and Shapley values were used to identify key predictors for PE and death. Our prediction model had a test AUROC of 75.9% and 74.2%, and sensitivities of 67.5% and 72.7% for PE and all-cause mortality respectively on a highly diverse and held-out test set. The PE prediction model was also evaluated on patients in UK and Spain separately with test results of 74.5% AUROC, 63.5% sensitivity and 78.9% AUROC, 95.7% sensitivity. Age, sex, region of admission, comorbidities (chronic cardiac and pulmonary disease, dementia, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, obesity, smoking), and symptoms (any, confusion, chest pain, fatigue, headache, fever, muscle or joint pain, shortness of breath) were the most important clinical predictors at admission. Age, overall presence of symptoms, shortness of breath, and hypertension were found to be key predictors for PE using our extreme gradient boosted model. This analysis based on the, until now, largest global dataset for this set of problems can inform hospital prioritisation policy and guide long term clinical research and decision-making for COVID-19 patients globally. Our machine learning model developed from an international cohort can serve to better regulate hospital risk prioritisation of at-risk patients

Thrombotic and hemorrhagic complications of COVID-19 in adults hospitalized in high-income countries compared with those in adults hospitalized in low- and middle-income countries in an international registry

Background: COVID-19 has been associated with a broad range of thromboembolic, ischemic, and hemorrhagic complications (coagulopathy complications). Most studies have focused on patients with severe disease from high-income countries (HICs). Objectives: The main aims were to compare the frequency of coagulopathy complications in developing countries (low- and middle-income countries [LMICs]) with those in HICs, delineate the frequency across a range of treatment levels, and determine associations with in-hospital mortality. Methods: Adult patients enrolled in an observational, multinational registry, the International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infections COVID-19 study, between January 1, 2020, and September 15, 2021, met inclusion criteria, including admission to a hospital for laboratory-confirmed, acute COVID-19 and data on complications and survival. The advanced-treatment cohort received care, such as admission to the intensive care unit, mechanical ventilation, or inotropes or vasopressors; the basic-treatment cohort did not receive any of these interventions. Results: The study population included 495,682 patients from 52 countries, with 63% from LMICs and 85% in the basic treatment cohort. The frequency of coagulopathy complications was higher in HICs (0.76%-3.4%) than in LMICs (0.09%-1.22%). Complications were more frequent in the advanced-treatment cohort than in the basic-treatment cohort. Coagulopathy complications were associated with increased in-hospital mortality (odds ratio, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.52-1.64). The increased mortality associated with these complications was higher in LMICs (58.5%) than in HICs (35.4%). After controlling for coagulopathy complications, treatment intensity, and multiple other factors, the mortality was higher among patients in LMICs than among patients in HICs (odds ratio, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.39-1.51). Conclusion: In a large, international registry of patients hospitalized for COVID-19, coagulopathy complications were more frequent in HICs than in LMICs (developing countries). Increased mortality associated with coagulopathy complications was of a greater magnitude among patients in LMICs. Additional research is needed regarding timely diagnosis of and intervention for coagulation derangements associated with COVID-19, particularly for limited-resource settings

Association of Country Income Level With the Characteristics and Outcomes of Critically Ill Patients Hospitalized With Acute Kidney Injury and COVID-19

Introduction: Acute kidney injury (AKI) has been identified as one of the most common and significant problems in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. However, studies examining the relationship between COVID-19 and AKI in low- and low-middle income countries (LLMIC) are lacking. Given that AKI is known to carry a higher mortality rate in these countries, it is important to understand differences in this population. Methods: This prospective, observational study examines the AKI incidence and characteristics of 32,210 patients with COVID-19 from 49 countries across all income levels who were admitted to an intensive care unit during their hospital stay. Results: Among patients with COVID-19 admitted to the intensive care unit, AKI incidence was highest in patients in LLMIC, followed by patients in upper-middle income countries (UMIC) and high-income countries (HIC) (53%, 38%, and 30%, respectively), whereas dialysis rates were lowest among patients with AKI from LLMIC and highest among those from HIC (27% vs. 45%). Patients with AKI in LLMIC had the largest proportion of community-acquired AKI (CA-AKI) and highest rate of in-hospital death (79% vs. 54% in HIC and 66% in UMIC). The association between AKI, being from LLMIC and in-hospital death persisted even after adjusting for disease severity. Conclusions: AKI is a particularly devastating complication of COVID-19 among patients from poorer nations where the gaps in accessibility and quality of healthcare delivery have a major impact on patient outcomes

Liver injury in hospitalized patients with COVID-19: An International observational cohort study

Background: Using a large dataset, we evaluated prevalence and severity of alterations in liver enzymes in COVID-19 and association with patient-centred outcomes.MethodsWe included hospitalized patients with confirmed or suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection from the International Severe Acute Respiratory and emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC) database. Key exposure was baseline liver enzymes (AST, ALT, bilirubin). Patients were assigned Liver Injury Classification score based on 3 components of enzymes at admission: Normal; Stage I) Liver injury: any component between 1-3x upper limit of normal (ULN); Stage II) Severe liver injury: any component &amp; GE;3x ULN. Outcomes were hospital mortality, utilization of selected resources, complications, and durations of hospital and ICU stay. Analyses used logistic regression with associations expressed as adjusted odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).ResultsOf 17,531 included patients, 46.2% (8099) and 8.2% (1430) of patients had stage 1 and 2 liver injury respectively. Compared to normal, stages 1 and 2 were associated with higher odds of mortality (OR 1.53 [1.37-1.71]; OR 2.50 [2.10-2.96]), ICU admission (OR 1.63 [1.48-1.79]; OR 1.90 [1.62-2.23]), and invasive mechanical ventilation (OR 1.43 [1.27-1.70]; OR 1.95 (1.55-2.45). Stages 1 and 2 were also associated with higher odds of developing sepsis (OR 1.38 [1.27-1.50]; OR 1.46 [1.25-1.70]), acute kidney injury (OR 1.13 [1.00-1.27]; OR 1.59 [1.32-1.91]), and acute respiratory distress syndrome (OR 1.38 [1.22-1.55]; OR 1.80 [1.49-2.17]).ConclusionsLiver enzyme abnormalities are common among COVID-19 patients and associated with worse outcomes

ISARIC-COVID-19 dataset: A Prospective, Standardized, Global Dataset of Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19

The International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC) COVID-19 dataset is one of the largest international databases of prospectively collected clinical data on people hospitalized with COVID-19. This dataset was compiled during the COVID-19 pandemic by a network of hospitals that collect data using the ISARIC-World Health Organization Clinical Characterization Protocol and data tools. The database includes data from more than 705,000 patients, collected in more than 60 countries and 1,500 centres worldwide. Patient data are available from acute hospital admissions with COVID-19 and outpatient follow-ups. The data include signs and symptoms, pre-existing comorbidities, vital signs, chronic and acute treatments, complications, dates of hospitalization and discharge, mortality, viral strains, vaccination status, and other data. Here, we present the dataset characteristics, explain its architecture and how to gain access, and provide tools to facilitate its use

Implementation of Recommendations on the Use of Corticosteroids in Severe COVID-19

Importance: Research diversity and representativeness are paramount in building trust, generating valid biomedical knowledge, and possibly in implementing clinical guidelines. Objectives: To compare variations over time and across World Health Organization (WHO) geographic regions of corticosteroid use for treatment of severe COVID-19; secondary objectives were to evaluate the association between the timing of publication of the RECOVERY (Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy) trial (June 2020) and the WHO guidelines for corticosteroids (September 2020) and the temporal trends observed in corticosteroid use by region and to describe the geographic distribution of the recruitment in clinical trials that informed the WHO recommendation. Design, setting, and participants: This prospective cohort study of 434 851 patients was conducted between January 31, 2020, and September 2, 2022, in 63 countries worldwide. The data were collected under the auspices of the International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infections Consortium (ISARIC)-WHO Clinical Characterisation Protocol for Severe Emerging Infections. Analyses were restricted to patients hospitalized for severe COVID-19 (a subset of the ISARIC data set). Exposure: Corticosteroid use as reported to the ISARIC-WHO Clinical Characterisation Protocol for Severe Emerging Infections. Main outcomes and measures: Number and percentage of patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 who received corticosteroids by time period and by WHO geographic region. Results: Among 434 851 patients with confirmed severe or critical COVID-19 for whom receipt of corticosteroids could be ascertained (median [IQR] age, 61.0 [48.0-74.0] years; 53.0% male), 174 307 (40.1%) received corticosteroids during the study period. Of the participants in clinical trials that informed the guideline, 91.6% were recruited from the United Kingdom. In all regions, corticosteroid use for severe COVID-19 increased, but this increase corresponded to the timing of the RECOVERY trial (time-interruption coefficient 1.0 [95% CI, 0.9-1.2]) and WHO guideline (time-interruption coefficient 1.9 [95% CI, 1.7-2.0]) publications only in Europe. At the end of the study period, corticosteroid use for treatment of severe COVID-19 was highest in the Americas (5421 of 6095 [88.9%]; 95% CI, 87.7-90.2) and lowest in Africa (31 588 of 185 191 [17.1%]; 95% CI, 16.8-17.3). Conclusions and relevance: The results of this cohort study showed that implementation of the guidelines for use of corticosteroids in the treatment of severe COVID-19 varied geographically. Uptake of corticosteroid treatment was lower in regions with limited clinical trial involvement. Improving research diversity and representativeness may facilitate timely knowledge uptake and guideline implementation