Determinants of HCV-related complications in Italian primary care patients

This study aimed to assess the demographic and clinical determinants of liver complications in Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-positive patients in primary care setting.

Using the Health Search database, we selected a cohort of patients aged ≥14 diagnosed with HCV between 2002 and 2017. Patients were followed up until the occurrence of cirrhosis and other disease progressions such as oesophageal varices, hepatocellular carcinoma and/or liver transplantation. The candidate determinants for the risk of HCV-related complications included sex, age, smoking status, liver fibrosis (measured by fibrosis 4 index [FIB-4]), infections by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), other forms of hepatitis, abuse of alcohol or illicit substances or drugs, obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus and renal disease. Cox regression was used to test the association between candidate determinants and the outcome.

The cohort included 8299 HCV-positive patients (50.93% men) with an overall prevalence rate equal to 0.61%. At least one HCV-related complication was found in 12.2% of patients, with a mean time-to-event equal to 8.1 year. Along with male sex and advanced age, a FIB-4 greater than 3.25 and the presence of diabetes were associated with a greater risk of HCV-related complications.

Our study shows that patients with certain demographics and clinical characteristics are more prone to incur in HCV-related complications. The knowledge and early identification of these determinants by GPs may result in reducing disease progression and related healthcare costs through a closer monitoring.