| ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
|
| Year : 2022 | Volume
: 36
| Issue : 4 | Page : 182-187 |
|
|
Protective effect of interferon-based antiviral therapy on risk of bipolar disorder in patients with hepatitis C Virus infection: A nationwide longitudinal study
Mu- Hong Chen M.D., Ph.D 1, Shih- Jen Tsai M.D 1, Tzeng- Ji Chen M.D., Ph.D 2
1 Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Veterans General Hospital; Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University; Institute of Brain Science, National Yang-Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
2 Department of Family Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital; Institute of Hospital and Health Care Administration, National Yang-Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei; Department of Family Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Hsinchu Branch, Hsinchu, Taiwan
Correspondence Address:
Mu- Hong Chen
No. 201, Shih-Pai Road, Section 2, Taipei 112
Taiwan
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None
DOI: 10.4103/TPSY.TPSY_37_22
|
|
|
Background: A recent study has shown the beneficial effects of interferon (IFN)-based antiviral therapy (AVT) in reducing the risk of newly diagnosed depression among patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. But whether IFN-based AVT reduces the risk of bipolar disorder remains unknown. Methods: This is a retrospective study based on the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. From enrollment to the end of 2013, 24,240 patients with HCV infection (4473 treated with IFN-based AVT and 19,767 without such treatment) as well as 96,960 age- and sex-matched controls were included in this study. Time-dependent Cox regression models were used to study the differences in risk of newly-diagnosed bipolar disorder between patients being treated with and without IFN-based AVT and the control participants. Results: Patients with HCV infection who had not yet received IFN-based AVT (hazard ratio = 4.86, 95% confidence interval = 1.87–12.66, p = 0.001), but not those who were receiving IFN-based AVT (1.69, 0.94 - 30.50, nonsignificance) and those who completed the IFN-based AVT (1.77, 0.69 - 4.54, nonsignificance), were significantly more to be diagnosed with bipolar disorder compared with the control group. Conclusion: Our study supports the temporal association between HCV infection and subsequent bipolar disorder, further suggesting that the optimal AVT to eradicate HCV may be associated with a reduced risk of incident bipolar disorder later in life.
|
|
|
|
| [FULL TEXT] [PDF]* |
|
 |
|
