to liz...ot

[Guest guest]

But,,, but,,, but,,,, da village idiot wont read the entire article hon... he will run off and mix himself a cocktail... and he doesnt need anymore than one study,, remember, he is da village idiot,, ROFL.....elizabethnv1 <elizabethnv1@...> wrote: NO WAY...............if they read the whole article they will see that alcohol consumption leads to an increased incidence of hepatacellular carcinoma . Besides this is just one study ,lol Re: Impact of Alcohol Use on Hepatitis C Treatment Outcomes and Quality of Life geez Liz,, now THIS will give da village idiot more ammo to keep up his drinking! lol,,elizabethnv1 <elizabethnv1@...> wrote: Impact of Alcohol Use on Hepatitis C Treatment Outcomes and Quality of LifeBy Liz HighleymanIt is well known that heavy, long-term alcohol use can cause or worsen liver fibrosis. However, because individuals who continue to use alcohol have traditionally been excluded from hepatitis C treatment, it is unclear how alcohol affects therapy or how alcohol-using hepatitis C patients feel about their health and quality of life.Alcohol Use and Treatment OutcomesAs reported in the May 2006 issue of Gastroenterology, B.S. Anand and colleagues conducted a study to assess the impact of alcohol use on hepatitis C treatment outcomes. The study enrolled 4061 individuals, 726 of whom (18%) started therapy. Alcohol consumption was categorized as no use versus regular use, recent use (during the past 12 months) versus past use, quantity consumed (none, less than six drinks per day, or six or

more drinks per day), and score less than 2 versus 2 or higher on the CAGE alcohol questionnaire (see box).CAGE Alcohol Questionnaire1. Have you ever felt you should cut down on your drinking? 2. Have people ever annoyed you by criticizing your drinking? 3. Have you ever felt guilty about your drinking? 4. Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover?ResultsAlcohol use, either in the past or within the previous 12 months, reduced eligibility for hepatitis C treatment.Past alcohol use did not affect end-of-treatment response, sustained virological response (SVR), or treatment discontinuation rates. Recent alcohol use (within the past year) was associated with a higher rate of treatment discontinuation (40% vs 26%; P = 0.0002) and a trend toward a lower SVR rate (14% vs 20%; P = 0.06).When patients who prematurely discontinued

treatment were excluded from the analysis, however, SVR rates were similar (25% vs 23%). These findings were consistent in subgroup analyses comparing patients of different races and with different HCV genotypes (both factors known to influence treatment response).ConclusionThe authors concluded that eligibility for hepatitis C treatment was reduced in past and recent drinkers, and that recent alcohol use was associated with increased treatment discontinuation and lower likelihood of achieving SVR. However, patients who used alcohol and completed treatment had a sustained response rate comparable to that of nondrinkers. Alcohol Dependence, Health, and Quality of LifeA related study presented at the Digestive Disease Week 2006 conference in Los Angeles in May explored the impact of alcohol use on the health and quality of life of individuals with hepatitis C.This cross-sectional analysis

included data from 124 chronic hepatitis C patients at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center; 64% were men and the mean age was about 47 years. Participants completed the CAGE questionnaire to assess alcohol use, as well as a disease-specific version of the SF-36 Health Survey, the Beck Depression Inventory, and three measures of "health value" or "healthy utility" known as the Rating Scale (RS), Time Trade-Off (TTO), and Standard Gamble (SG). Results 60 patients (48.4%) were classified as having "alcohol dependence" based on the CAGE questionnaire (score higher than 2).Alcohol dependence was associated with a history of depression (P = 0.036), consumption of more than 20 grams of alcohol per day of alcohol (P = 0.01), hi story of injection drug use (P < 0.001), nasal cocaine use (P = 0.007), and having a tattoo (P = 0.001).Alcohol dependence was not related to gender, race/ethnicity, sexual

orientation, or marital status. Alcohol dependence was not correlated with the presence of cirrhosis or decompensated liver disease.Mean RS, TTO, and SG scores were not significantly different in the alcohol dependent and non-alcohol-dependent groups.On the SF-36, composite mental component summary (MCS) quality-of-life scores were lower in patients with alcohol dependence (P < 0.01). SF-36 social functioning, "role emotional," and mental health scores were also lower among patients with alcohol dependence (P < 0.02, < 0.04, and < 0.08 respectively). Among patients with alcohol dependence, there was a strong correlation between MCS quality-of-life scores and RS scores (P < 0.01), but only a weak correlation with SG (P = 0.02) and TTO (P < 0.01) scores.In the same group, there was a very strong correlation between SG and TTO scores (P < 0.01), both of which were significantly

greater than the RS score (P < 0.01). ConclusionThe researchers concluded that alcohol dependence significantly affects quality of life for individuals with hepatitis C, but does not affect health utility or health value. Further, having a CAGE score that met the criteria for alcohol dependence was not associated with altered medical decision-making.Together, these studies suggest that heavy alcohol users continue to value good health, and may be able to adhere to -- and respond well to -- hepatitis C treatment. Anand and colleagues recommended that patients with a history of alcohol use should not be excluded from HCV therapy, but instead should receive additional support to ensure their ability to complete treatment.Nevertheless, it is important that patients with hepatitis C cut down on their alcohol use, especially in light of another study presented at DDW 2006 which showed that

long-term heavy alcohol use promotes the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in rats, even in the absence of other risk factors such as chronic viral hepatitis.6/27/06Jackie Jackie

[Guest guest]

OK I see yer point , and it is a valid one . So all you members out there make sure to read entire articles that I post . Research data is just that ...research

Re: Impact of Alcohol Use on Hepatitis C Treatment Outcomes and Quality of Life

geez Liz,, now THIS will give da village idiot more ammo to keep up his drinking! lol,,elizabethnv1 <elizabethnv1@...> wrote:

Impact of Alcohol Use on Hepatitis C Treatment Outcomes and Quality of LifeBy Liz HighleymanIt is well known that heavy, long-term alcohol use can cause or worsen liver fibrosis. However, because individuals who continue to use alcohol have traditionally been excluded from hepatitis C treatment, it is unclear how alcohol affects therapy or how alcohol-using hepatitis C patients feel about their health and quality of life.Alcohol Use and Treatment OutcomesAs reported in the May 2006 issue of Gastroenterology, B.S. Anand and colleagues conducted a study to assess the impact of alcohol use on hepatitis C treatment outcomes. The study enrolled 4061 individuals, 726 of whom (18%) started therapy. Alcohol consumption was categorized as no use versus regular use, recent use (during the past 12 months) versus past use, quantity consumed (none, less than six drinks per day, or six or more drinks per day), and score less than 2 versus 2 or higher on the CAGE alcohol questionnaire (see box).CAGE Alcohol Questionnaire1. Have you ever felt you should cut down on your drinking? 2. Have people ever annoyed you by criticizing your drinking? 3. Have you ever felt guilty about your drinking? 4. Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover?ResultsAlcohol use, either in the past or within the previous 12 months, reduced eligibility for hepatitis C treatment.Past alcohol use did not affect end-of-treatment response, sustained virological response (SVR), or treatment discontinuation rates. Recent alcohol use (within the past year) was associated with a higher rate of treatment discontinuation (40% vs 26%; P = 0.0002) and a trend toward a lower SVR rate (14% vs 20%; P = 0.06).When patients who prematurely discontinued treatment were excluded from the analysis, however, SVR rates were similar (25% vs 23%). These findings were consistent in subgroup analyses comparing patients of different races and with different HCV genotypes (both factors known to influence treatment response).ConclusionThe authors concluded that eligibility for hepatitis C treatment was reduced in past and recent drinkers, and that recent alcohol use was associated with increased treatment discontinuation and lower likelihood of achieving SVR. However, patients who used alcohol and completed treatment had a sustained response rate comparable to that of nondrinkers. Alcohol Dependence, Health, and Quality of LifeA related study presented at the Digestive Disease Week 2006 conference in Los Angeles in May explored the impact of alcohol use on the health and quality of life of individuals with hepatitis C.This cross-sectional analysis included data from 124 chronic hepatitis C patients at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center; 64% were men and the mean age was about 47 years. Participants completed the CAGE questionnaire to assess alcohol use, as well as a disease-specific version of the SF-36 Health Survey, the Beck Depression Inventory, and three measures of "health value" or "healthy utility" known as the Rating Scale (RS), Time Trade-Off (TTO), and Standard Gamble (SG). Results 60 patients (48.4%) were classified as having "alcohol dependence" based on the CAGE questionnaire (score higher than 2).Alcohol dependence was associated with a history of depression (P = 0.036), consumption of more than 20 grams of alcohol per day of alcohol (P = 0.01), hi story of injection drug use (P < 0.001), nasal cocaine use (P = 0.007), and having a tattoo (P = 0.001).Alcohol dependence was not related to gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, or marital status. Alcohol dependence was not correlated with the presence of cirrhosis or decompensated liver disease.Mean RS, TTO, and SG scores were not significantly different in the alcohol dependent and non-alcohol-dependent groups.On the SF-36, composite mental component summary (MCS) quality-of-life scores were lower in patients with alcohol dependence (P < 0.01). SF-36 social functioning, "role emotional," and mental health scores were also lower among patients with alcohol dependence (P < 0.02, < 0.04, and < 0.08 respectively). Among patients with alcohol dependence, there was a strong correlation between MCS quality-of-life scores and RS scores (P < 0.01), but only a weak correlation with SG (P = 0.02) and TTO (P < 0.01) scores.In the same group, there was a very strong correlation between SG and TTO scores (P < 0.01), both of which were significantly greater than the RS score (P < 0.01). ConclusionThe researchers concluded that alcohol dependence significantly affects quality of life for individuals with hepatitis C, but does not affect health utility or health value. Further, having a CAGE score that met the criteria for alcohol dependence was not associated with altered medical decision-making.Together, these studies suggest that heavy alcohol users continue to value good health, and may be able to adhere to -- and respond well to -- hepatitis C treatment. Anand and colleagues recommended that patients with a history of alcohol use should not be excluded from HCV therapy, but instead should receive additional support to ensure their ability to complete treatment.Nevertheless, it is important that patients with hepatitis C cut down on their alcohol use, especially in light of another study presented at DDW 2006 which showed that long-term heavy alcohol use promotes the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in rats, even in the absence of other risk factors such as chronic viral hepatitis.6/27/06Jackie

Jackie