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Published on: April 15, 2016
[Hepatitis C treatment in the surrounding area of Buenos Aires]
Soledad Perez1, Lorena Steinbrecher1, Silvina Tavella2
1Hospital de Morón, Morón, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Insights
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) diagnosis and treatment in Argentina face access challenges. This study highlights the effectiveness of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) and supports universal testing for better HCV control.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- Hepatitis C virus (HCV) remains a significant global health concern, particularly in Argentina where access to diagnosis and treatment is a major hurdle.
- Effective control of HCV infection is hindered by challenges in identifying and treating infected individuals promptly.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize patients initiating direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy for HCV in Argentina.
- To describe the treatment experience and outcomes for HCV-infected patients receiving DAAs.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of medical records for 82 HCV-infected patients initiating DAA treatment.
- Data collection included patient demographics, comorbidities (HIV, HBV), presence of cirrhosis, and treatment outcomes.
Main Results:
- The study included 82 patients (mean age 49 years), with high rates of cirrhosis (39%), HIV coinfection (58.5%), and HBV coinfection (32.9%).
- A significant proportion (63.4%) had no identifiable risk factor for HCV infection.
- All patients completed DAA therapy, with 98.6% achieving sustained viral response (SVR) among those tested.
Conclusions:
- Universal HCV testing is recommended over risk-based approaches for improved diagnosis and control.
- A simplified, decentralized care model for HCV treatment is advocated, reserving specialized care for complex cases like decompensated cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Abstract:
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is currently the main blood-borne viral infection. One of the main obstacles to achieving its control in Argentina is related to difficulties in accessing the diagnosis and timely treatment of infected people. We carried out this study with the aim of characterizing the HCV-infected patients who started treatment with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) and to describe the experience related to treatment. The medical records of 82 patients, 44 (53.7%) male, 37 (45.1%) female, and one (1.2%) transgender, were selected. The mean age was 49 years. We report a frequency of cirrhosis, 39%, in 32 patients, coinfection with HIV in 48 (58.5%) and with HBV in 27 (32.9%). In 52 patients (63.4%), no risk factor clearly associated with infection was observed. All completed the therapy, of them 72 (87.8%) carried out the control to confirm sustained viral response (SVR), that attained 98.6%. We conclude that universal testing should be implemented over testing based on a risk approach, and that a simplified and decentralized care criterion should be promoted, reserving specialized care for patients with decompensated cirrhosis and liver cancer.
