Evaluation of Health-related Quality of Life among Patients with Chronic Viral Hepatitis and Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Objectives: Chronic viral hepatitis may reduce quality of life (QoL). In this study, our aim was to assess the QoL of patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and to compare these results with those of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV). Materials and Methods: A total of 299 consecutive patients with chronic HBV, 92 patients with chronic HCV, and 64 patients with NAFLD were included. Short form-36 (SF-36), the liver disease symptom index 2.0 (LDSI 2.0), and the sociodemographic data form were completed. Child-Pugh and the model for end-stage liver disease scores were also calculated. Results: Patients with chronic HCV had the worst scores on the SF-36 and the LDSI 2.0, followed by patients with HBV and NAFLD. Factors associated with QoL were, among patients with HCV, employment status, medical treatment, income level, presence of cirrhosis, and number of comorbid conditions; among patients with HBV, gender and presence of cirrhosis; and among patients with NAFLD, number of children, duration of disease, number of comorbid conditions, and body mass index. Conclusion: Chronic viral hepatitis had a negative impact on QoL. Patients with chronic HCV had the lowest QoL, followed by patients with chronic HBV and NAFLD.