Search

We investigated depression and anxiety levels and related psychological disorders in adolescents with transfusion-dependent thalassemia (TDT) in this study. The study was conducted in two pediatric hematology outpatient clinics and included adolescents with TDT (14.8 ± 2.4 years, n = 40) in the study and compared them with the healthy age-matched control group (14.3 ± 2.3 years, n = 62). The Turkish version of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) was used to determine depression, anxiety, and related psychologic disorders (obsession, panic disorder, social phobia). Depression, anxiety, obsession, panic disorder, and social phobia scores were significantly higher in the patient group compared with the control (all p < 0.05). Ferritin levels were positively correlated with total depression, general anxiety, separation anxiety, and social phobia scores, but transfusion frequency and young age were the confounding factors. Patients in early adolescence and those who require more frequent blood transfusions are at higher risk of developing psychological disorders; routine screening for mood disorders should be warranted. Serum ferritin level may be a good warning indicator for early recognition of psychologic disorders in TDT patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The aims of the present study were to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of ledipasvir/sofosbuvir (LDV/SOF) with or without ribavirin in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) in patients with advanced liver disease and to analyse whether the use of LDV/SOF treatment is associated with a new occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) during and after LDV/SOF treatment. The Turkish Early Access Program provided LDV/SOF treatment to a total of 200 eligible CHC patients with advanced liver disease. The median follow‐up period was 22 months. All patients were Caucasian, 84% were infected with genotype 1b, and 24% had a liver transplantation before treatment. The sustained virological response (SVR12) was 86.0% with ITT analysis. SVR12 was similar among patients with Child‐Pugh classes A, B and C disease and transplant recipients. From baseline to SVR12, serum ALT level and MELD score were significantly improved (P < 0.001). LDV/SOF treatment was generally well tolerated. Only one patient developed a new diagnosed HCC. Seventeen of the 35 patients, who had a history of previous HCC, developed HCC recurrence during the LDV/SOF treatment or by a median follow‐up of 6 months after treatment. HCC recurrence was less commonly observed in patients who received curative treatment for HCC compared with those patients who received noncurative treatment (P = 0.007). In conclusion, LDV/SOF with or without ribavirin is an effective and tolerable treatment in CHC patients with advanced liver disease. Eradication is associated with improvements in liver function and a reduced risk of developing a new occurrence of HCC. Ledipasvir and sofosbuvir with or without ribavirin is an effective and tolerable treatment in hepatitis C virus–infected patients with advanced liver disease. Eradication is associated with improvements in liver function and reduces the risk of developing a new occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]