Mortality in hepatitis C patients who achieve a sustained viral response compared to the general population.

Background & Aims: The number of people living with previous hepatitis C infection that have attained a sustained viral response (SVR) is expected to grow rapidly. So far, the prognosis of this group relative to the general population is unclear.

Methods: Individuals attaining SVR in Scotland in 1996-2011 were identified using a national database.

Toward a more complete understanding of the association between a hepatitis C sustained viral response and cause-specific outcomes.

Unlabelled: Sustained viral response (SVR) is the optimal outcome of hepatitis C virus (HCV) therapy, yet more detailed data are required to confirm its clinical value. Individuals receiving treatment in 1996-2011 were identified using the Scottish HCV clinical database. We sourced data on 10 clinical events: liver, nonliver, and all-cause mortality; first hospitalisation for severe liver morbidity (SLM); cardiovascular disease (CVD); respiratory disorders; neoplasms; alcohol-intoxication; drug intoxication; and violence-related injury (note: the latter three events were selected a priori to gauge ongoing chaotic lifestyle behaviours).

What is the impact of a country-wide scale-up in antiviral therapy on the characteristics and sustained viral response rates of patients treated for hepatitis C?

Background & Aims: The global burden associated with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has prompted a scale-up of antiviral therapy. Hitherto, no data exist on the impact of scaling-up, on the characteristics of treated populations, or on sustained viral response (SVR) rates. We assessed the country-wide scale-up of antiviral therapy in Scotland, a country which nationally monitors uptake of and response to HCV treatment.

Ranking predictors of a sustained viral response for patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with pegylated interferon and ribavirin in Scotland.

Objectives: From the literature on the hepatitis C virus, the existence of a gap between a sustained virologic response (SVR) attainable in randomized clinical trials (RCTs) versus routine practice is not clear. Further, in terms of the pretreatment prediction of SVR, to date, studies have focused only on reporting the magnitude of association (MOA) between each predictor and an SVR. They fail to acknowledge that a predictor with a large MOA is of little value to clinicians if it has low variability in the treatment population.

Excess liver-related morbidity of chronic hepatitis C patients, who achieve a sustained viral response, and are discharged from care.

Unlabelled: Our objective was to address two shortfalls in the hepatitis C virus (HCV) literature: (1) Few data exist comparing post-treatment liver-related mortality/morbidity in HCV-sustained virologic response (SVR) patients to non-SVR patients and (2) no data exist examining liver-related morbidity among treatment response subgroups,particularly among noncirrhotic SVR patients, a group who in the main are discharged from care without further follow-up. A retrospective cohort of 1,215 previously naïve HCV interferon patients (treated 1996-2007)was derived using HCV clinical databases from nine Scottish clinics. Patients were followed up post-treatment for a mean of 5.

Prevalence and Immunization Status of Hepatitis B Virus in the HIV Cohort in Fife, Scotland.

Background: Routes of transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV)/HIV infections are similar and there is a significant rate of co-infection in patients. A study was recently carried out in NHS Fife, Scotland from February 2007 - February 2008 to estimate the prevalence of HBV/HIV co-infection, occult HBV infection and immunisation status against HBV in a cohort of patients with HIV attending the departments of infectious diseases and genitourinary medicine.

Methods: Case notes were reviewed retrospectively (n = 70).

Epidemiological Survey of Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Fife, Scotland.

Background: HCV infection is of growing public health importance in Scotland. We aim to establish: patient demographics; risk category; year/country of probable infection; referral/follow-up status; and genotypic variance of HCV in Fife.

Methods: Details of all HCV antibody positive patients, referred and assessed at specialist clinics in NHS Fife, until 1st of May 2007 were obtained retrospectively from the Fife hepatitis C database.