Chronic Hepatitis News

Sustained virologic response after treatment for hepatitis C correlated with a reduced risk for several extrahepatic manifestations including type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and mood and anxiety disorders.

The prevalence of exposure to hepatitis B among veterans was highest among those with traditional risk factors and independently related to military combat or being wounded in combat, according to study results.

In a follow-up analysis of participants in clinical trials, researchers found that patient-reported outcome scores increased in patients who achieved sustained virologic response after treatment for hepatitis C, whereas scores decreased in those who did not.

Most patients with hepatitis C in Africa have genotypes outside of the common and easily cured genotype 1a and genotype 1b, which has led to a suboptimal rate of sustained virologic response.

Treatment with Vosevi, a combination of sofosbuvir, velpatasvir and voxilaprevir, was an effective and safe therapy for patients with prior direct-acting antiviral treatment failure, according to findings published in the Journal of Hepatology.

Patients who demonstrated negative results from tests for both hepatitis B DNA and RNA at the cessation of nucleos(t)ide treatment were less likely to experience clinical or virological relapse years later compared with those with only one negative test result.

This year for World Hepatitis Day, the theme is “Find the Missing Millions.” Hundreds of millions of people living with viral hepatitis are unaware of their infection and many people are also unaware of the available treatments, especially the high efficacy and safety of available direct-acting antivirals.

Decentralized treatment of hepatitis C using telemedicine clinics achieved a sustained virologic response rate of more than 90% regardless of genotype or presence of cirrhosis, according to a published study conducted in India.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently gave an ‘A’ level recommendation to screening women for hepatitis B during their first prenatal visit, according to a report recently published in JAMA.

Stephen A. Harrison, MD, FACP, FAASLD, visiting professor of hepatology at University of Oxford and medical director at Pinnacle Clinical Research, discussed how the growing epidemic of liver disease impacts the financial solvency of the U.S. health care system in a white paper released by Echosens.