Does Alexithymia Predict the Psychiatric Comorbidity Among Healthy Carriers of Hepatitis B?

Objective: The psychiatric disorders among healthy carriers of hepatitis B (HBsAg), who have no severe physical disability or any medical treatment, have clinical importance. We aimed to research the comorbid psychiatric disorders and alexithymia and to identify whether alexithymia and accompanying somatic symptoms predict the presence of psychiatric diagnoses or not among HBsAg carriers. Methods: Eighty-nine healthy carriers of Hepatitis B patients and nınety-three healthy individuals were included to study. Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition) (DSM-IV) (SCID-I), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), and Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS) were applied. Results: When the distribution of SCID I psychiatric diagnoses among healthy HBsAg carriers examined, majority of the patients (n=53, 59.6%) had any psychiatric diagnosis. The logistic regression model evaluating whether number of somatic symptoms and alexithymia predict the psychiatric diagnosis, we observed that number of somatic symptoms predicted the presence of psychiatric diagnosis (odds ratio=2.762, P < .001). Conclusion: Our findings revealed that alexithymia may potentiate the occurrence of psychiatric disorders in such patients and that it requires more consideration. So, our results suggest that HBsAg carriers need multidisciplinary evaluation including hepatology, infection clinics and psychiatric liaison.