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Tronina O, Panczyk M, Zarębska-Michaluk D, Gotlib J, Małkowski P. Global Elimination of HCV-Why Is Poland Still So Far from the Goal? Viruses 2023; 15:2067. [PMID: 37896844 PMCID: PMC10612042 DOI: 10.3390/v15102067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Eradication of HCV in the global population remains one of the greatest challenges faced by the WHO. An insufficient level of knowledge and the lack of a national screening test strategy are obstacles to HCV eradication. AIM This work aimed to summarize surveys assessing risk factors and awareness of the respondents regarding the prevention and course of HCV infection. The summary also includes the most important European and global attempts at eliminating HCV. MATERIALS AND METHODS A cross-sectional, population-based study was conducted in the Mazowieckie district in Poland using anonymous surveys and conducted on people who willingly reported for a test. RESULTS In the study cohort of n = 7397 adults, there were 5412 women (73.16%). The analysis of the quota sample (n = 1303) reflected the actual proportions in the population of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship. CONCLUSIONS Insufficient knowledge about HCV decreases the probability of higher detection of infections, fast diagnostics, and treatment. According to the WHO model, assuming a 90% detection rate and treatment of 80% of infected by 2030, and taking into account 120-150 thousand infected persons in Poland, the number of detections of HCV should be increased 4-5 times and all diagnosed persons should be offered antiviral treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Tronina
- Department of Transplantation Medicine, Nephrology, and Internal Diseases, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-006 Warsaw, Poland;
| | - Mariusz Panczyk
- Department of Education and Research in Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland;
| | - Dorota Zarębska-Michaluk
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Allergology, Jan Kochanowski University, 25-317 Kielce, Poland;
| | - Joanna Gotlib
- Department of Education and Research in Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland;
| | - Piotr Małkowski
- Department of Surgical, and Transplantation Nursing, and Extracorporeal Therapies, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-007 Warsaw, Poland;
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Brzdęk M, Zarębska-Michaluk D, Rzymski P, Lorenc B, Kazek A, Tudrujek-Zdunek M, Janocha-Litwin J, Mazur W, Dybowska D, Berak H, Parfieniuk-Kowerda A, Klapaczyński J, Sitko M, Sobala-Szczygieł B, Piekarska A, Flisiak R. Changes in characteristics of patients with hepatitis C virus-related cirrhosis from the beginning of the interferon-free era. World J Gastroenterol 2023; 29:2015-2033. [PMID: 37155527 PMCID: PMC10122793 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v29.i13.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Nearly 290000 patients with chronic hepatitis C die annually from the most severe complications of the disease. One of them is liver cirrhosis, which occurs in about 20% of patients chronically infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), which replaced interferon (IFN)-based regimens, significantly improved the prognosis of this group of patients, increasing HCV eradication rates and tolerability of therapy. Our study is the first to assess changes in patient profile, effectiveness, and safety in the HCV-infected cirrhotic population in the IFN-free era.
AIM To document changes in patient characteristics and treatment regimens along with their effectiveness and safety profile over the years.
METHODS The studied patients were selected from 14801 chronically HCV-infected individuals who started IFN-free therapy between July 2015 and December 2021 in 22 Polish hepatology centers. The retrospective analysis was conducted in real-world clinical practice based on the EpiTer-2 multicenter database. The measure of treatment effectiveness was the percentage of sustained virologic response (SVR) calculated after excluding patients lost to follow-up. Safety data collected during therapy and the 12-wk post-treatment period included information on adverse events, including serious ones, deaths, and treatment course.
RESULTS The studied population (n = 3577) was balanced in terms of gender in 2015-2017, while the following years showed the dominance of men. The decline in the median age from 60 in 2015-2016 to 57 years in 2021 was accompanied by a decrease in the percentage of patients with comorbidities and comedications. Treatment-experienced patients dominated in 2015-2016, while treatment-naive individuals gained an advantage in 2017 and reached 93.2% in 2021. Genotype (GT)-specific options were more prevalent in treatment in 2015-2018 and were supplanted by pangenotypic combinations in subsequent years. The effectiveness of the therapy was comparable regardless of the period analyzed, and patients achieved an overall response rate of 95%, with an SVR range of 72.9%-100% for the different therapeutic regimens. Male gender, GT3 infection, and prior treatment failure were identified as independent negative predictors of therapeutic success.
CONCLUSION We have documented changes in the profile of HCV-infected cirrhotic patients over the years of accessibility to changing DAA regimens, confirming the high effectiveness of IFN-free therapy in all analyzed periods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michał Brzdęk
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Jan Kochanowski University, Kielce 25-317, Poland
| | | | - Piotr Rzymski
- Department of Environmental Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznań 60-806, Poland
- Integrated Science Association, Universal Scientific Education and Research Network, Poznań 60-806, Poland
| | - Beata Lorenc
- Pomeranian Center of Infectious Diseases, Medical University Gdańsk, Gdańsk 80-214, Poland
| | | | | | - Justyna Janocha-Litwin
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Medical University Wrocław, Wrocław 50-367, Poland
| | - Włodzimierz Mazur
- Clinical Department of Infectious Diseases, Clinical University of Silesia in Katowice, Chorzów 41-500, Poland
| | - Dorota Dybowska
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Faculty of Medicine, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Bydgoszcz 85-030, Poland
| | - Hanna Berak
- Daily Department, Hospital for Infectious Diseases in Warsaw, Warszawa 01-201, Poland
| | - Anna Parfieniuk-Kowerda
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Medical University of Białystok, Białystok 15-089, Poland
| | - Jakub Klapaczyński
- Department of Internal Medicine and Hepatology, Central Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration, Warszawa 00-241, Poland
| | - Marek Sitko
- Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Jagiellonian University, Kraków 31-088, Poland
| | - Barbara Sobala-Szczygieł
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Bytom 41-902, Poland
| | - Anna Piekarska
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Medical University of Łódź, Łódź 90-419, Poland
| | - Robert Flisiak
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Medical University of Białystok, Białystok 15-089, Poland
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HCV Elimination in Central Europe with Particular Emphasis on Microelimination in Prisons. Viruses 2022; 14:v14030482. [PMID: 35336889 PMCID: PMC8952509 DOI: 10.3390/v14030482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Revised: 02/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In 2016, the WHO announced a plan to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030. In this narrative review, experts from Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia assessed the feasibility of achieving the WHO 2030 target for HCV infections in Central Europe. They focused mainly on HCV micro-elimination in prisons, where the highest incidence of HCV infections is usually observed, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the detection and treatment of HCV infections. According to the presented estimates, almost 400,000 people remain infected with HCV in the analyzed countries. Interferon-free therapies are available ad libitum, but the number of patients treated annually in the last two years has halved compared to 2017–2019, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. None of the countries analyzed had implemented a national HCV screening program or a prison screening program. The main reason is a lack of will at governmental and prison levels. None of the countries analyzed see any chance of meeting the WHO targets for removing viral hepatitis from the public threat list by 2030, unless barriers such as a lack of political will and a lack of screening programs are removed quickly.
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