Long-term serum ferritin dynamics in patients receiving antiviral treatment for hepatitis C virus infection.

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. We compared the differences in time-dependent slope coefficients of serum ferritin levels for factors of interest using the generalized estimating equations to identify predictors associated with favorable serum ferritin evolution.

Results: Using univariable analysis, SVR, aged ≤50 year, absence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), and pre-treatment HCV RNA level ≤2,000,000 IU/mL were associated with favorable ferritin evolution. Multivariable analysis showed that SVR (adjusted slope coefficient difference: 7.50 ng/mL/year [95% CI: 3.37 to -11.63], p < 0.001) and absence of MASLD (adjusted slope coefficient difference: 4.16 ng/mL/year [95% CI: 7.91 to -0.41], p = 0.022) predicted favorable ferritin evolution. Among participants achieving SVR, the ferritin evolution was not affected by DAA or PR treatment (crude slope coefficient difference: 3.33 ng/mL/year [95% CI: 12.78 to 6.12], p = 0.49). Absence of MASLD was associated with favorable ferritin evolution (adjusted slope coefficient difference: 2.86 ng/mL/year [95% CI: 5.39 to -0.33], p = 0.021).

Conclusions: Patients achieving SVR, irrespective of types of treatment, exhibited more favorable long-term ferritin dynamics compared to those not achieving SVR. Absence of MASLD may help improve long-term ferritin dynamics among patients achieving SVR.