Although most cases of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are associated with injection drug use, there are few data regarding the impact of putative barriers such as psychiatric disease and intercurrent drug use on HCV treatment outcomes. To define the impact of characteristics often cited as reasons for withholding HCV treatment, we studied HCV treatment in a real world sample of 76 recovering heroin users maintained on methadone. Overall, 21 (28%) had a sustained virological response and 18 (24%) discontinued treatment early. Although there was a modest decrement in response rates in patients reporting a preexisting psychiatric history (p = .01), neither intercurrent drug use nor short duration of pretreatment drug abstinence led to significant reductions in virological outcomes (p = .09 and p = .18, respectively.) We conclude that injection drug users can be safely and effectively treated for HCV despite multiple barriers to treatment when they are treated in a setting that can address their special needs.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsat.2005.06.002 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Evaluation of liver fibrosis in HCV-infected patients using two-dimensional shear-wave elastography (2D-SWE) before and after antiviral treatment.
J Ultrason
December 2024
Department of General and Pediatric Radiology, Wrocław Medical University, Wrocław, Poland.
Aim: Chronic hepatitis C virus infections can lead to liver fibrosis. Appropriate treatment of chronic hepatitis C may result in significant fibrosis reversal. The best method to assess liver fibrosis is an invasive hepatic biopsy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLong-term serum ferritin dynamics in patients receiving antiviral treatment for hepatitis C virus infection.
J Formos Med Assoc
January 2025
Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Hepatitis Research Center, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Yun-Lin Branch, Douliou, Taiwan. Electronic address:
Background: Limited data exists regarding the long-term serum ferritin dynamics following sustained virologic response (SVR) and factors associated with trends in changes among patients undergoing treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV).
Methods: Serum ferritin levels were assessed biannually in 1538 participants undergoing direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) or peginterferon plus ribavirin (PR) with a median of follow-up of 5.0 years after off-treatment week 12.
Prevalence of resistance-associated substitutions (RAS) in hepatitis C virus in the Former Soviet Union countries.
BMJ Open Gastroenterol
January 2025
Department of Biomedical Sciences, Nazarbayev University School of Medicine, Astana, Kazakhstan
Objective: The emergence of resistance-associated substitutions (RASs) poses a significant challenge to the effective treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection using direct-acting antivirals. This study's objective was to observe the prevalence of HCV genotypes and RAS within the Former Soviet Union (FSU) countries.
Methods: We analysed 60 NS3, 313 NS5A and 1119 NS5B sequences of HCV deposited in open-access databases from 11 FSU countries for the prevalence of genotypes and the presence of RAS using the Geno2Pheno software.
Comparative- and Cost-Effectiveness Research Determining the Optimal Intervention for Advancing Transgender Women With HIV to Full Viral Suppression (Text Me, Alexis!): Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.
JMIR Res Protoc
January 2025
Department of Population Health Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States.
Background: Many transgender women with HIV achieve suboptimal advancement through the HIV Care Continuum, including poor HIV health care usage, retention in HIV medical care, and rates of viral suppression. These issues are exacerbated by comorbid conditions, such as substance use disorder, which is also associated with reduced quality of life, increased overdose deaths, usage of high-cost health care services, engagement in a street economy, and cycles of incarceration. Thus, it is critical that efforts to End the HIV Epidemic include effective interventions to link and retain transgender women in HIV care through full viral suppression.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDonor hepatitis C status is not associated with an increased risk of acute rejection in kidney transplantation.
Surg Pract Sci
March 2024
Department of Surgery, Division of Multiorgan Transplant and Hepatobiliary Surgery, University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX, 77555-0655, USA.
Introduction: In renal transplantation, donor hepatitis C virus (HCV) status is crucial to consider when selecting a recipient given the high likelihood of transmission. We analyzed the effect of donor HCV status on post-renal transplant rejection and virologic infectious outcomes using electronic health record data from multiple US health care organizations.
Methods: Using real world data from electronic health records of renal transplant recipients, a propensity score-matched case-control study of one-year renal transplant outcomes was conducted on cohorts of HCV-negative recipients who received an organ from an HCV-positive donor (HCV D+/R-) versus from an HCV-negative donor (HCV D-/R-).
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!