Effect of integrated hepatitis C virus treatment on psychological distress in people with substance use disorders
Abstract People with substance use disorders (SUD) have a high prevalence of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and mental health disorders. We aimed to assess the impact of integrated HCV treatment on psychological distress measured by Hopkins-symptom-checklist-10 (SCL-10). This multi-center...
Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2024-01-01
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Series: | Scientific Reports |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-51336-9 |
Summary: | Abstract People with substance use disorders (SUD) have a high prevalence of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and mental health disorders. We aimed to assess the impact of integrated HCV treatment on psychological distress measured by Hopkins-symptom-checklist-10 (SCL-10). This multi-center randomized controlled trial evaluated psychological distress as a secondary outcome of integrated HCV treatment (INTRO-HCV trial). From 2017 to 2019, 289 participants were randomly assigned to receive either integrated or standard HCV treatment with direct-acting antiviral therapy. Integrated HCV treatment was delivered in eight decentralized outpatient opioid agonist therapy clinics and two community care centers; standard treatment was delivered in internal medicine outpatient clinics at centralized hospitals. Participants in the integrated treatment arm had a sustained virologic response of 93% compared to 73% for those in standard treatment arm. Psychological distress was assessed using SCL-10 prior to initiation of HCV treatment and 12 weeks after treatment completion. The mean SCL-10 score prior to HCV treatment was 2.2 (standard deviation [SD]: 0.7) for patients receiving integrated HCV treatment and 2.2 (SD: 0.8) for those receiving standard HCV treatment. Twelve weeks after the end of treatment, the mean SCL-10 score change was − 0.1 (− 0.3;0.0) in the integrated compared to the standard arm. Psychological distress did not substantially change during the treatment period and was not significantly different between the treatment arms. |
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ISSN: | 2045-2322 |