Complications of advanced liver disease are on rise among HCV patients in USA

A group of researchers from the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Michigan presented the results of a study regarding the complications of advance liver disease among people with chronic Hepatitis C. Findings were presented at the 2016 AASLD Liver Meeting in November.

According to the study, complications including cirrhosis and hepatic decompensation are still on the rise among people with Hepatitis C. 

Successful hepatitis C treatment with interferon-free direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy can slow or halt liver disease progression, but people who are treated too late, after they have already developed cirrhosis, remain at risk for HCC and end-stage liver disease. An EASL guideline now recommends that, regardless of liver fibrosis progression, all people with chronic HCV should be treated. However, the high cost of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) drugs remains a crucial factor for access to treatment by people in need.

The study involved 11,169 adults receiving 'real world' clinical care between 2006 and 2014 at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Michigan; the Geisinger Heath System in Danville, Pennsylvania; and Kaiser-Permanente in Waipahu, Hawaii, and Portland, Oregon. A majority (60%) were men, most were white, 24% were black and 7% were Asian/Pacific Islander.

"The proportion of hepatitis C patients with cirrhosis and its complications has grown significantly in the past decade, particularly among those over 60. The present analysis confirms the rising burden of chronic hepatitis C infection and its complications on the US health care system," the investigators stated.