is there a predictive value of interferon-induced depression?
GROUND: The study objective was to determine the contribution of cytokine-induced depression to a predictive model of sustained virological response (SVR) in chronic hepatitis C. METHODS: One hundred and one therapy-naïve hepatitis C virus (HCV) outpatients received treatment with peginterferon alfa-2b and ribavirin. Neuropsychiatric side effects were monitored prospectively (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, DSM-IV criteria for major depression). SVR was defined as a failure to detect HCV by PCR 24 weeks after therapy. RESULTS: SVR rate was 72.3% (73 of 101 patients). Classification data and the extent of interferon-induced depression were not significantly linked to SVR. Virus genotype (p = 0.045) and gender (p = 0.016) contributed significantly to a logistic regression model. Mean (p = 0.811) and maximum (p = 0.744) depression increases were no significant predictors of SVR. Major depression rates (DSM-IV criteria) were 12.3% (9 of 73 patients) in the subgroup with SVR and 10.7
