Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29343250›Full record

Observational studyHealth and quality of life outcomes2018

Evaluation of health status in patients with hepatitis c treated with and without interferon.

R Ragusa, G Bertino, A Bruno, E Frazzetto, F Cicciu, G Giorgianni, L Lupo

Open access · goldAbstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in Health and quality of life outcomes, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
1.3field-weighted citation impact, top 19% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 18 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Health-related quality of life in hepatitis C patients who achieve sustained virological response to direct-acting antivirals: a comparison with the general population.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2019
    Article
  8. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

R RagusaHealth Technology Assessment Committee, University Hospital "G. Rodolico", Via Rosso di San Secondo 3, 95128, Catania, Italy. ragusar@unict.it.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0964-3438
G BertinoHepatology Unit-Department of clinical and Experimental Medicine, University Hospital "G. Rodolico", Catania, Italy.
A BrunoScience of Health Professions Technical Diagnostic, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
E FrazzettoSchool of Specialization in Internal Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
F CicciuSchool of Specialization in Hygiene, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
G GiorgianniSchool of Specialization in Hygiene, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
L LupoMedical Statistic - Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and advanced technologies, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
University of Catania · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe evolution of technology in healthcare has increased the health care's costs and, the universal healthcare systems, in developed countries, need to ensure proper allocation of resources. Thus, the major issue is assessing the effectiveness of new medical technologies. The evaluation of quality of life in response to new treatments has become a key indicator in chronic conditions for which medical interventions are evaluated not only in terms of increasing the number of expected life years but also in terms of increasing quality of life. The aim of this observational study was to verify whether a simple instrument (EQ-5D-5 L) can capture variations in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and allow us to evaluate the impact of different drug treatment protocols in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) on daily activities.

methodsSixty six patients with HCV were consecutively enrolled in the Hepatology Unit at the University Hospital of Catania "G. Rodolico". Sixteen patients received new direct-acting-antiviral agents (DAAs) plus pegylated alpha interferon (Peg-α-IFN) protocol (Group A) and 50 DAAs IFN free protocol (Group B). The EQ-5D-5 L® questionnaire and visual analog scale (VAS) were given to both groups to calculate coefficient's utility. We used the EQ-5D-5 L Crosswalk Index Value Calculator to obtain the utility EQIndex and both parametric and non parametric tests for the statistical analysis.

resultsThe biopsy taken at the beginning of treatment showed comparable cell damage in both groups. The difference in the VAS results was negative for patients who received protocols containing IFN (indicating decreased quality of life),whereas it was positive in patients treated with IFN-free protocols. The baseline EQIndex did not reveal any differences between the two treatment groups. The post-treatment EQIndex was statistically better in the groups that received IFN-free therapy.

conclusionsWhen innovative treatments are introduced into clinical practice, assessing quality of life is mandatory to determine their benefits. The instruments used in the present study are effective in detecting the areas in which improvement has occurred. These instruments can be easily managed by general practitioners for follow up of progression of the disease and referred to the specialist.

Indexed as

Health StatusQuality of LifeAdultAntiviral AgentsDrug Therapy, CombinationFemaleHepatitis CHumansInterferon-alphaMaleMiddle AgedPain MeasurementSurveys and QuestionnairesAntiviral AgentsInterferon-alphaDirect-acting antiviral agents (DAAs)EQ-5D-5 LEQIndexHepatitis CInterferon (IFN)Quality of life (QoL)QuestionnaireVisual analog scale

Identifiers

PMID29343250
PMCPMC5773186
OpenAlexW2784977152

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.