Impact of chronic HCV treatment on quality of life of patients with metabolic disorders in context of immunological disturbances

Chronic viral hepatitis C (CHC) and its complications have a negative effect on patient’s quality of life. We evaluated the impact of a successful interferon-free treatment on the quality of life of patients with obesity and metabolic disorders in the context of immunological disturbances. Twenty overweight or obese (BMI > 25) patients with CHC were tested before the therapy and after a successful treatment regimen. After the therapy, patient’s emotional well-being improved (p = 0.02), while physical well-being remained unchanged. There was a decrease of patient’s liver fibrosis and an increase of steatosis along with body mass. Among HCV-infected individuals, the expression of toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) on lymphocytes was higher than in the control group (p = 0.03), but it decreased (p = 0.001) after the treatment. There was also a decrease of the intensity of immunofluorescence of FoxP3+ after the treatment (p = 0.04). Our study showed an improvement in mental aspects of patient’s quality of life after the treatment. Unfortunately, probably due to rapid immunological changes, patient’s BMI, serum cholesterol levels and hepatic steatosis have a tendency to increase and may lead to cardiovascular and other complications, like hepatocellular carcinoma.