Aymery Constant

Lifestyle changes and beliefs regarding disease severity in patients with chronic hepatitis C

Summary.  The aim of this prospective study was to investigate beliefs regarding disease severity and lifestyle changes following hepatitis C diagnosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC). One hundred and eighty‐five consecutive CHC patients were interviewed by means of self‐questionnaires exploring several aspects of their disease. Most patients (93%) identified cirrhosis and liver cancer as the two main complications of CHC. More than half of patients (59%) thought that CHC was always associated with a fatal outcome whereas 3% thought that they would stay healthy. HCV viral load was the most commonly reported factor associated with disease severity. Sex life changes were reported by 107 patients (58%) whereas dietary intake changes were reported by 88 patients (48%). In multivariate analysis, changes in sex life were associated with male gender [odds ratio (OR): 2.57, 95% CI: 1.30–5.08, P < 0.007], perceived disease severity (OR: 1.02, 95% CI: 1.00–1.03, P < 0.03) and anxiety (OR: 1.05, 95% CI: 1.01–1.08, P < 0.003), whereas changes in dietary intake were associated with age (OR: 1.04, 95% CI: 1.02–1.08, P < 0.003) and anxiety (OR: 1.04, 95% CI: 1.01–1.08, P < 0.006). Our results show the considerable impact of CHC diagnosis on patients’ lifestyle. They emphasize the need for improving CHC patient counselling in order to avoid unnecessary sex life and dietary intake changes.

Social isolation in parents of children with hemangiomas: Effects of coping styles and emotional distress

This study investigated factors associated with social isolation in parents of children with hemangiomas. Eighty-one parents completed questionnaires assessing their emotional distress, social isolation, and coping styles. To explore the relationships between these variables, a path analysis was used to test a model in which clinical characteristics of hemangiomas and parents’ coping strategies do not have direct effects on their social isolation but indirect effects via their emotional distress. Bootstrapping was used to assess indirect effects. Time since onset and lesional complications had positive direct effects on parents’ social isolation. Lesional visibility and emotion-focused coping had negative indirect effects on parents’ social isolation via their emotional distress, while problem-focused coping showed a positive indirect effect. These findings may have implications for clinicians managing parents of children with hemangiomas.