Hepatitis C News

Results of a survey of liver patient groups from 25 European countries showed that a minority of European prisons provide adequate infectious disease prevention, such as harm reduction programs and hepatitis C screening.

As we in the United States look ahead to Digestive Disease Week coming up and further to our fall meetings, the International Liver Congress gives us an opportunity to hear the latest from our colleagues around the world as well as those at home.

This month’s issue has a very nice summary of the data on therapeutic regimens presented at the International Liver Congress by Nancy S. Reau, MD. For me, the meeting highlighted how high is the summit to which we’ve climbed after years of a massive international effort to cure HCV, and how much the focus is shifting. We heard little about new HCV regimens and instead focused on real-world data sets on existing regimens and, equally important, the theme that HCV treatment has become as much of as social science as a medical one as we strive toward elimination. We saw an appropriate emphasis being placed on screening, linkage and access to care, including underprivileged and high-risk populations, on a national and global scale.

Interferon-experienced patients with hepatitis C who achieved sustained virologic response with direct-acting antivirals were more likely to have a higher baseline expression of interferon-stimulated genes compared with those who experienced a virologic breakthrough, according to a recently published study.

WHO published its first ever list of essential diagnostic tests today to address the prevalence of late or incorrect diagnoses and improve treatment outcomes globally.

Compliance with hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance correlated with early diagnosis, better allocation of curative treatment and longer overall survival among patients with hepatitis C- or hepatitis B-associated compensated cirrhosis, according to a recently published study.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have designated May as Hepatitis Awareness Month to raise public awareness of viral hepatitis including the most common strains: hepatitis A, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Additionally, the CDC designated May 19th as Hepatitis Testing Day.

Although sustained virologic response after antiviral therapy for hepatitis C reduces the risks for several extrahepatic manifestations, researchers found that early initiation of treatment may be required to reduce the risk for glomerulonephritis, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and stroke.

Researchers using liver stiffness measurement found significant and comparable prevalence of advanced fibrosis between patients with chronic hepatitis C recruited from primary care practices and those recruited from a hospital cohort, according to a recently published study.

Results of a recent study showed that sustained virologic response after treatment with direct-acting antivirals correlated with an increased control of vasculitic manifestations in patients with hepatitis C-associated cryoglobulinemic vasculitis, although some patients may relapse.