[Quality of life in patients with chronic hepatitis C after PEG-Interferon a-2a therapy].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the quality of life (QOL) in the patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) after PEG-Interferon a-2a therapy. METHODS: A study based on 102 CHC patients (group A, before PEG- Interferon a-2a therapy, T0) and 44 healthy persons (group B) was carried out using the general quality of life inventory (GQOLI-74) questionnaire, and QOL were compared between the two groups. Patients in group A were divided into subgroup A1 (72 patients ) which was given PEG-Interferon a-2a plus Ribavirin for one year and subgroup A2 (30 patients) without any antivirus therapy. QOL of patients in these two subgroups was investigated using GQOLI-74 questionnaire on the end of PEG-Interferon a-2a plus Ribavirin therapy (T1) and half one year after the end of PEG-Interferon a-2a plus Ribavirin therapy (T2). QOL of CHC patients (group A1 and A2) were compared at T0, T1 and T2, respectively. RESULTS: Compared with group B, patients in group A had lower QOL (P < 0.05) on other scales and total scores of the GQOLI-74 questionnaire except psychological function(P > 0.05). Both on T1 and T2, patients in subgroup A1 had higher QOL on physical function, psychological function, social function and total scores than patients in subgroup A2 at the same time (P < 0.05). Patients in subgroup A1 at T1 had higher QOL on physical function, psychological function, social function and total scores than at T0 (P < 0.05). Patients in subgroup A1 at T2 had higher QOL on social function than that at T1 (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: QOL of CHC patients is more impaired than healthy persons. PEG-Interferon a-2a therapy will improve the QOL.

Association of CYP2D6 and CYP1A2 gene polymorphism with tardive dyskinesia in Chinese schizophrenic patients.

AIM: To investigate the possible association of the CYP2D6 gene C100T polymorphism and the CYP1A2 gene C163A polymorphism with tardive dyskinesia (TD) in Chinese patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: The recruited schizophrenic patients were assessed with the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS), and divided into groups with TD (n=91) and without TD (n=91) according to the AIMS score. Polymorphisms of the CYP2D6 and CYP1A2 genes were determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). RESULTS: No allele frequencies deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. No significant differences in genotypes frequencies of the CYP2D6 C100T polymorphism were observed between patients with TD and without TD (Chi2=4.078, P>0.05), but patients with TD had a significant excess of the T allele compared with those without TD (Chi2=4.28, P<0.05). Moreover, the frequency of the CYP1A2 C allele in patients with TD was significantly higher than that in those without TD (Chi2=6.38, P<0.05). An association between TD and the CYP2D6 100T and CYP1A2 163C alleles was observed. Additionally, there were no differences in the mean AIMS scores among different genotypes in TD patients as a group or in smokers. The results of logistic regression analysis demonstrated that mean age and duration of illness were risk factors for TD, but not sex, cumulative exposure to neuroleptic drugs in years, CYP2D6 or CYP1A2 genotype. CONCLUSION: The C100T polymorphism of the CYP2D6 gene and the C163A polymorphism of the CYP1A2 gene may be associated with neuroleptic drug-induced tardive dyskinesia in Chinese patients with schizophrenia. However, genetic factors have a weaker association with susceptibility to TD compared with mean age and duration of illness.