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A Still-Unraveling Connection Creates Heated Debate
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In a time when the obesity epidemic is blossoming into a diabetes epidemic, it becomes harder to distinguish the impact of a disease like HCV on patients with diabetes or even those at risk.
Obviously all cases of diabetes are not linked to HCV, but those that occur in conjunction with HCV deserve a closer look. Newly approved and poised-for-approval therapies for HCV may ultimately impact the timeline of potential diabetes development, the severity of secondary disease and the quality of life of patients. With recent studies questioning the connection between hepatitis C virus and diabetes, experts on both sides of the debate spoke with HCV Next in this month’s cover story regarding their opinions.
See page 10 for perspective on recent FDA approvals as well a survey of anticipated treatment changes, both covered in Trend Watch. This month’s Case Challenge (page 19) focuses on a patient with HCV who also suffers from autoimmune hepatitis. While the incidence of this occurring may be a rarity among patients, it is definitely worthy of being on practitioners’ radars.
Finally, don’t miss the Take Home messages from last month’s Liver Meeting (page 40) as noted by Co-Chief Medical Editor Ira M. Jacobson, MD, and HCV Next Editorial Board Member Stevan A. Gonzalez, MD, MS. A renewed interest in the use and efficacy of ribavirin was the topic of many presentations, and a healthy debate on whether to include it or not include it in treatment has ensued among researchers.
Looking at the changes that occurred in 2014 in the treatment of HCV, where do you stand on the many topics open for discussion? Please share your thoughts and start a conversation with our editors and your colleagues at Healio.com/HCV. We look forward to hearing from you.
— Katrina Altersitz
Editor in Chief, HCV Next