Watchful waiting: role of disease progression on uncertainty and depressive symptoms in patients with chronic Hepatitis C

摘要

Background and AimsNew therapies for HCV are rapidly emerging and providers are advising select patients to defer treatment and elect “watchful waiting.” During the watchful waiting period, patients have been shown to have high rates of illness uncertainty and depression. We sought to answer the question of whether reassuring histological data (showing minimal fibrosis or no fibrosis progression over time) is associated with less illness uncertainty and depressive symptoms.