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Depression in Korean Immigrants With Hepatitis B and Related Liver Diseases

Received August 17, 1999; revised November 3, 1999; accepted May 31, 2000. From Department of Internal Medicine, Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Address correspondence to Dr. Kunkel, Director Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, 1020 Sansom Street, Thompson Bldg. Suite 1652, Philadelphia, PA 19107.

The authors evaluated 50 Korean immigrants who had chronic viral hepatitis or who were healthy carriers for the hepatitis B virus in terms of the relationships between their depression scores, psychosocial stressors, social support, and biological markers of dysfunction. All participants completed a questionnaire, describing their worries and concerns, and the short form of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-sf). Hepatic transaminases, albumin levels, and prothrombin times were measured during routine clinic follow-up visits and were abstracted from the medical record. Values recorded within 3 months before and within 3 months after the psychiatric interview were correlated with BDI scores. BDI-sf total scores were significantly associated with transaminase elevations (P<0.001) both before and after BDI-sf administration. BDI scores were not associated with other measures of liver dysfunction or other medical causes of depression. Patients with higher BDI-sf total scores had more psychosocial stressors (P=0.008) and lower Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scores (P=0.000).

Key Words: Depression • Hepatitis B • liver-related diseases

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