Quality of life and related factors among chronic hepatitis B-infected patients: a multi-center study, Turkey.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients in Turkey and to study related factors. METHODS: This multicenter study was carried out between January 01 and April 15, 2015 in Turkey in 57 centers. Adults were enrolled and studied in three groups. Group 1: Inactive HBsAg carriers, Group 2: CHB patients receiving antiviral therapy, Group 3: CHB patients who were neither receiving antiviral therapy nor were inactive HBsAg carriers. Study data was collected by face-to-face interviews using a standardized questionnaire, Short Form-36 (SF-36) and Hepatitis B Quality of Life (HBQOL). Values equivalent to p < 0.05 in analyses were accepted as statistically significant. RESULTS: Four thousand two hundred fifty-seven patients with CHB were included in the study. Two thousand five hundred fifty-nine (60.1 %) of the patients were males. Groups 1, 2 and 3, consisted of 1529 (35.9 %), 1721 (40.4 %) and 1007 (23.7 %) patients, respectively. The highest value of HRQOL was found in inactive HBsAg carriers. We found that total HBQOL score increased when antiviral treatment was used. However, HRQOL of CHB patients varied according to their socio-demographic properties. Regarding total HBQOL score, a higher significant level of HRQOL was determined in inactive HBV patients when matched controls with the associated factors were provided. CONCLUSIONS: The HRQOL score of CHB patients was higher than expected and it can be worsen when the disease becomes active. Use of an antiviral therapy can contribute to increasing HRQOL of patients.

[Effectiveness of rapid antigen test with throat gargle in detecting group A beta-hemolytic streptococci]. / Bogaz gargarasi ile yapilan hizli antijen testinin grup A beta-hemolitik streptokoklari saptamadaki etkinligi.

OBJECTIVES: The most important disadvantage of rapid antigen tests (RAT) is low sensitivity for the diagnosis of group A beta-hemolytic streptococci (BHS). We determined the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of RAT in gargling samples. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included 106 patients (53 females, 53 males, mean age 22+/-12 years; range 16-65 years) with an initial diagnosis of tonsillopharyngitis. Swab samples were taken from the posterior pharyngeal wall and tonsil surface with a sterile cotton swab. Then, gargle samples were obtained by gargling for 10 seconds with sterile 0.9% NaCl to be examined by the RAT for group A BHS. Throat cultures were processed using standard microbiologic techniques. RESULTS: Throat cultures were positive in 12 patients (11.3%) and negative in 94 patients (88.6%). Rapid antigen test yielded five positive (4.7%) and 101 negative (95.2%) results. The sensitivity and specificity rates of RAT with throat gargling were 41.7% and 100%, with positive and negative predictive values of 100% and 93.1%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Despite satisfactory specificity, positive and negative predictive rates of RAT with throat gargling, its low sensitivity limits its use for the diagnosis of group A BHS.