Profile of people treated for hepatitis C: a descriptive study, Pelotas, Brazil, 2023

To describe the clinical-epidemiological profile of hepatitis C in individuals treated in Pelotas in 2023.

This was a descriptive study, using data from medical records held at the Injectable Medication Administration and Follow-up Center. Characteristics of the individuals and the disease at the beginning of treatment were used, such as demographic variables, weight, origin of follow-up (public, private), viral load, genotyping, liver fibrosis staging, cirrhosis, human immunodeficiency virus coinfection, and treatment effectiveness. Analyses were stratified by sex, and differences were evaluated by Independent Samples t-test, Wilcoxon test or Fisher's exact test.

102 individuals were followed up, i.e. 59 males and 43 females, with mean ages of 52.4 and 57.1 years (p-value 0.037). Human immunodeficiency virus coinfection was 5.9%. 35% of patients assessed underwent genotyping, with type 1 being the most frequent in males and type 3 in females. Adherence among public sector health professionals to the Ministry of Health liver fibrosis staging protocol was higher than among those working in the private sector. One male and six females presented an advanced degree of liver fibrosis (Aspartate Aminotransferase-to-Platelet Ratio Index ≥2) (p-value 0.049) at the start of treatment.

Most patients treated for hepatitis C were referred by the public system, with a low degree of fibrosis, although one-third presented some degree of cirrhosis. Disease staging was assessed primarily among public system users. Females were the majority regarding being at an advanced stage of the natural history of the disease. Sustained virological response occurred predominantly among males.