Quality of Life of Patients with Chronic Liver Disease and Cirrhosis : A critical review of literature

Measurement of quality of life (QOL) has become an important patient reported outcome that reflects the success of therapy or medical procedures in clinical studies. This book has four parts. Part 1 aims to discuss the epidemiology of liver cirrhosis and liver disease, causes, the epidemic of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in Egypt, complications and challenges of treating patients with cirrhosis. Part 2 explains the nature of QOL, beginning with defining QOL, then it discusses the relationship between QOL and health. An examination of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) in terms of its definition, domains and the importance of measuring HRQOL are critically discussed. Part 3 discusses the term of social support beginning with defining social support, then presenting the types and socurces of social support, and the underlying mechanism of social support. Then, relationship between social support and HRQOL, and available paradigms of measuring social support are discussed. Finally, HRQOL, symptoms experience and perceived social support in liver disease patients and its associated factors were reviewed in part 4.