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Gaps in HCV Care Identified in US
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Continued efforts are needed to improve hepatitis C virus care in the United States, according to a recent report.
The new meta-analysis and systematic literature review studied the proportion of US adults with chronic HCV who completed each step along a proposed HCV treatment cascade:
Infection with chronic HCV
• Diagnosis and awareness of infection.
• Access to outpatient care.
• Confirmation of HCV RNA.
• Liver fibrosis staging.
• HCV treatment prescribed.
• Sustained virologic response achieved.
The review focused on data from 10 articles published between January 2003 and July 2013 to provide estimates of US adults with HCV infection who completed the seven steps. Of the 3.5 million people estimated to have chronic HCV in the United States, only 50% were diagnosed and aware of their infection status. Forty-three percent had access to outpatient care, 27% had HCV RNA confirmation testing, 17% had liver fibrosis staging, 16% received treatment and 9% achieved SVR.
“The proposed HCV treatment cascade provides a framework for evaluating the delivery of HCV care over time and within subgroups, and will be useful in monitoring the impact of new screening efforts and advances in antiviral therapy,” Baligh R. Yehia, MD, MPP, MSHP, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and colleagues concluded.
The findings of the review underscore the need for improvements in HCV care in the United States, especially in light of new, more effective treatments and increased HCV screening among vulnerable populations.
Vincent Lo Re III
“Given the high prevalence of this infection, particularly in baby boomers who didn’t know they were infected, having new, highly effective treatment options to eradicate the virus will be a tremendous benefit to patients that will ultimately help us to reduce liver-related complications and reinfection rates,” Vincent Lo Re III, MD, MSCE, assistant professor of medicine and epidemiology at University of Pennsylvania, stated in a press release.