Mortality related to <scp>HCV</scp> and other chronic liver diseases in Veneto (Italy), 2008–2021: Changes in trends and age‐period‐cohort effects

Casotto, Veronica; Amidei, Claudio Barbiellini; Saia, Mario; Gregori, Dario; Zanetto, Alberto; Fedeli, Ugo; Russo, Francesco P.

doi:10.1111/liv.15798

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 26 publications

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“…As mentioned earlier, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a decrease in HCV testing and treatment, as highlighted in a recent study [ 27 ]. This could potentiate an increase in HCV genetic variability due to the maintenance of diverse viruses in infected but untested and untreated individuals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

The COVID-19 Pandemic Affected Hepatitis C Virus Circulation and Genotypic Frequencies—Implications for Hepatitis C Prevention, Treatment and Research

Oliveira Correa,

Chies

2024

Epidemiologia

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Hepatitis C is regarded as a global health issue caused by hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. HCV is targeted for elimination by 2030 as a global public health goal. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed human circulation and prevented access to diagnostics and treatment to many other diseases, including hepatitis C. COVID-19 impacted HCV global elimination efforts with implications not fully comprehended yet. The high genetic variability in HCV makes the development of vaccines and pan-genotypic drug therapies a difficult task. Changes in the dynamics of HCV impose new challenges for public health and opportunities for future research. Meta-analysis, the follow up of new cases and sampling of HCV patients compared with previously available data are options for investigating the possible changes. The determination of HCV genotypes and subtypes is important for understanding viral dynamics and treatment; therefore, the changes in genotype and subtype prevalences can directly affect such processes. Recent results in the literature already suggest changes in HCV dynamics during the COVID-19 pandemic, both considering viral circulation and differential genotypic frequencies in distinct geographic areas. In this context, we propose a further examination of these trends using different approaches to provide support for the hypothesis that the COVID-19 pandemic affected HCV circulation, since these findings would have important implications for hepatitis C prevention, treatment and research.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

The COVID-19 Pandemic Affected Hepatitis C Virus Circulation and Genotypic Frequencies—Implications for Hepatitis C Prevention, Treatment and Research

Oliveira Correa,

Chies

2024

Epidemiologia

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In‐Hospital Screening Campaign Against Hepatitis C Could Be Effective for Identifying More Patients Who Still Need Treatment

Ferrarese,

Zanaga,

Battistella

et al. 2024

Aliment Pharmacol Ther

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BackgroundScreening programmes for the detection of patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and positive viral load have been developed in many countries to achieve the World Health Organization's goal of HCV elimination by 2030. In Italy, a phased screening programme starting with individuals born between 1969 and 1989 has been implemented.AimTo assess the prevalence of patients with positive viraemia identified through a universal screening campaign conducted among hospitalised patients at our centre during the calendar year 2022.MethodsAll adult (aged ≥ 18 years) hospitalised patients, who participated in HCV screening from January to December 2022 were included, without any age restriction. Screening initially involved testing for anti‐HCV antibodies and then patients who tested positive underwent further HCV‐RNA testing.ResultsA total of 10,846 samples were collected. Five hundred and thirty cases (4.8%) tested positive for HCV antibodies, and 109 (1%) tested positive for both HCV antibodies and HCV‐RNA. Among patients with a positive viral load, the median [IQR] age was 62 [53–77] years, with a significant age difference between males and females (59 [48–67] vs. 78 [62–88]; Mann–Whitney U‐test, p = 0.001). Eighty‐four (77%) patients with a positive viral load were outside the target age range specified in the current National Recommendations for free‐of‐charge screening.ConclusionsThe non‐negligible prevalence of patients with a positive viral load among an unselected group of hospitalised patients suggests that such settings could effectively enhance screening programmes aimed at HCV elimination. Additionally, this approach may help identify patients who are not currently included in the National Recommendations.

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Reduction of the Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma over Time Using Direct-Acting Antivirals: A Propensity Score Analysis of a Real-Life Cohort (PITER HCV)

Quaranta,

Cavalletto,

Russo

et al. 2024

Viruses

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The treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) with direct-acting antivirals (DAA) leads to high sustained virological response (SVR) rates, but hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk persists in people with advanced liver disease even after SVR. We weighted the HCC risk in people with cirrhosis achieving HCV eradication through DAA treatment and compared it with untreated participants in the multicenter prospective Italian Platform for the Study of Viral Hepatitis Therapies (PITER) cohort. Propensity matching with inverse probability weighting was used to compare DAA-treated and untreated HCV-infected participants with liver cirrhosis. Kaplan–Meier analysis and competing risk regression analysis were performed. Within the first 36 months, 30 de novo HCC cases occurred in the untreated group (n = 307), with a weighted incidence rate of 0.34% (95%CI: 0.23–0.52%), compared to 63 cases among SVR patients (n = 1111), with an incidence rate of 0.20% (95%CI: 0.16–0.26%). The 12-, 24-, and 36-month HCC weighted cumulative incidence rates were 6.7%, 8.4%, and 10.0% in untreated cases and 2.3%, 4.5%, and 7.0% in the SVR group. Considering death or liver transplantation as competing events, the untreated group showed a 64% higher risk of HCC incidence compared to SVR patients (SubHR 1.64, 95%CI: 1.02–2.62). Other variables independently associated with the HCC occurrence were male sex, increasing age, current alcohol use, HCV genotype 3, platelet count ≤ 120,000/µL, and albumin ≤ 3.5 g/dL. In real-life practice, the high efficacy of DAA in achieving SVR is translated into high effectiveness in reducing the HCC incidence risk.

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Mortality related to HCV and other chronic liver diseases in Veneto (Italy), 2008–2021: Changes in trends and age‐period‐cohort effects

Cited by 3 publications

References 26 publications

The COVID-19 Pandemic Affected Hepatitis C Virus Circulation and Genotypic Frequencies—Implications for Hepatitis C Prevention, Treatment and Research

The COVID-19 Pandemic Affected Hepatitis C Virus Circulation and Genotypic Frequencies—Implications for Hepatitis C Prevention, Treatment and Research

In‐Hospital Screening Campaign Against Hepatitis C Could Be Effective for Identifying More Patients Who Still Need Treatment

Reduction of the Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma over Time Using Direct-Acting Antivirals: A Propensity Score Analysis of a Real-Life Cohort (PITER HCV)

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