Abstract

Background: HCV is often accompanied by significant medical and psychiatric co-morbidities that can
complicate the course of illness. Some of the more common co-occurring disorders that have received
empirical attention include depression, substance use disorders (SUDs), and chronic pain.Aim of the
study: To study prevalence of psychiatric disorders in patients with hepatitis C infection. Materials and
methods: The present study was conducted in the Department of Psychiatry in the Medical Institute. For
the study, we selected patients whose blood work was positive for antibody to HCV and have the
presence of HCV RNA confirmed by the use of PCR. A total of 50 patients were selected for the study.
For the evaluation of psychiatric disorders in the patients, the patients were given a questionnaire to
complete. Results: A total of 50 subjects were included in the study. 35 subjects were male and 15
subjects were female. Mean age of the patients was 46.23 years. We observed that 9 patients had bipolar
disorder, 15 patients had schizophrenic psychosis, heavy alcohol use was seen in 21 patients, PTSD was
seen in 14 patients, substance use was observed in 19 patients and depression was seen in 33 patients.
Conclusion: Within the limitations of the present study, it can be concluded that patients with hepatitis C
infection have high prevalence of psychiatric disorders, the most common psychiatric disorders in
hepatitis C patients are depression and heavy alcohol use. The quality of life of the patients are
significantly affected by the psychiatric disorders.