Frequency of Depression in patients of Chronic Hepatitis C who had not yet received treatment

Background: Chronic hepatitis C is a common entity which is frequently associated with depression. Aim: To determine the frequency of depression in patients of chronic hepatitis C who had not yet received treatment. Settings: Department of Gastroenterology and Medicine at Fatima Memorial Hospital Lahore, Pakistan. Study design: Cross sectional Descriptive study Methods: Total 217 patients were enrolled. Each patient was interviewed and then marked down by the doctor himself. Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ 9) (annexure 2 attached) was applied to determine the presence of depression. Depression was managed as per hospital protocol. The study was conducted from 10th April, 2018 to 9th October, 2018 Results: In this study mean age was 45 years with standard deviation +/- 11.33. 62% patients were male, 38% patients were female. More over 57% patients had depression while 43% patients didn't have depression. Conclusion: Our study concluded that there was a significant association between depression and chronic hepatitis C patients before they have started their treatment, in tertiary care hospital.