Hepatitis C News

Researchers of a recently published study found kidneys from donors infected with the hepatitis C virus functioned similarly to kidneys from donors without the virus 1 year after transplant. In addition, these kidneys are gaining greater acceptance from transplant centers and are increasingly transplanted into recipients without preexisting hepatitis C virus which, according to Peter P. Reese, MD, MSCE, of the University of Pennsylvania, is a “huge change from past practice.”

The likelihood of hepatitis B virus exposure among methamphetamine users was four times higher in women compared with men, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

Resistance-guided direct-acting antiviral retreatment resulted in nearly 90% sustained virologic response rates among patients with hepatitis C who developed resistance-associated substitutions after failing treatment with NS5A inhibitors.

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Researchers discovered that an elevated fatty liver index was an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality in patients coinfected with hepatitis C and HIV, regardless of liver fibrosis or sustained virologic response to hepatitis therapy.

The FDA has received reports that the use of Mavyret, Zepatier or Vosevi to treat chronic hepatitis C in patients with moderate to severe liver disease has resulted in rare cases of liver injury or liver failure, according to a drug safety communication.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has issued a draft recommendation that encourages clinicians to screen all adults aged 18 to 79 years for hepatitis C virus infection.

Establishing a co-located hepatitis C virus clinic within an HIV clinic successfully managed co-infected patients — a typically hard-to-treat population — resulting in HCV treatment initiation in 70.5% of participants and an SVR at 12 weeks post-treatment or cure in 56.1% of patients, according to a study.

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.

As a young medical student, I learned how tiny organisms could wreak great havoc in this world — which exposed me to the world of ID early in my medical career. I attended medical school with the goal of understanding and conquering them. During my ID rotation, I cared for a patient who had fever, vague symptoms and a rash that was biopsied. They called us, the ID service, hoping that we could offer answers. This role of a detective, collaborator, thinker and doctor is what still appeals to me the most about the practice of ID. I was in awe of the ID specialists who ascertained the etiology as secondary syphilis and treated this patient with penicillin — and I hoped someday to emulate them. Intriguing cases like this sparked my interest in this field, which only grew stronger in the years to come.