Peginterferon with or without ribavirin has minimal effect on quality of life, behavioral/emotional, and cognitive outcomes in children
Authors
Rodrigue, James R.Balistreri, William
Haber, Barbara
Jonas, Maureen M.
Mohan, Parvathi
Molleston, Jean P.
Murray, Karen F.
Narkewicz, Michael R.
Rosenthal, Philip
Smith, Lesley J.
Lobritto, Steven J.
Schwarz, Kathleen B.
Robuck, Patricia R.
Barton, Bruce A.
Gonzalez-Perez, Regino P.
UMass Chan Affiliations
Department of Quantitative Health SciencesDocument Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2011-05-01Keywords
Hepatitis CPolyethylene Glycols
Interferon Alfa-2a
Ribavirin
Child
Adolescent
Biostatistics
Epidemiology
Health Services Research
Pediatrics
Virus Diseases
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The aim of this study was to prospectively assess the quality of life (QOL), behavioral/emotional functioning, and cognitive status of children undergoing treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. In all, 114 children (5 to 18 years old) enrolled in a multisite randomized clinical trial (Peds-C) to evaluate peginterferon alpha 2a (PEG 2a) with ribavirin (RV) or with placebo (PL) completed several standardized measures prior to treatment and at 24 weeks, 48 weeks, 6 months following treatment, and at two annual follow-up visits. After 24 weeks of treatment, mean physical QOL scores declined significantly for both groups from baseline to 24 weeks of treatment (F = 5.8, P = 0.004), although scores remained in the average range. There were no significant time or group effects for behavioral/emotional or cognitive functioning. Three children (5%) in the PEG 2a + RV group and no children in the PEG 2a + PL group had a clinically significant increase in depression symptoms. For those children who received 48 weeks of treatment, there were no significant time or group effects on any of the outcome measures (P > 0.05). A majority of children in both the PEG 2a + RV and PEG 2a + PL groups experienced no clinically significant change in physical QOL, behavioral adjustment, depression, or cognitive functioning during or after treatment. Conclusion: Overall QOL and psychosocial functioning are not deleteriously impacted by PEG 2a + RV or PL treatment of children with HCV. (HEPATOLOGY 2011;).Source
Hepatology. 2011 May;53(5):1468-75. doi: 10.1002/hep.24248. Link to article on publisher's siteDOI
10.1002/hep.24248Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/47863PubMed ID
21351116Related Resources
Link to Article in PubMedae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1002/hep.24248