Hepatitis C

Fitful nights of sleeplessness and daytime fatigue were more common among people with hepatitis C regardless of whether they had cirrhosis of the liver when compared to the healthy control group involved in a small study.

Of the 3 to 4 million Americans with chronic HCV infection, only 13% to 18% have received treatment. Understanding the current guidelines in HCV treatment and understanding the current role of direct-acting antiviral agents is an important priority for clinicians.

With the approval of several new therapies in hepatitis C, by late 2013, the 2011 hepatitis C treatment guidelines were well out of date. A multidisciplinary group of infectious disease specialists and hepatology specialists have changed that with a website offering treatment guideline updates at unprecedented speed.

Nearly one-third of the population in the US who have hepatitis C are people who are incarcerated; however, prevalence of the disease among this group has dipped in recent years.

Study results show hepatic decompensation is more common in people who have both HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) compared to those infected only with HCV, an indication that early HCV treatment among coinfected patients is needed.

The California Technology Assessment Forum recently evaluated the comparative clinical effectiveness and value of simeprevir and sofosbuvir in the treatment of chronic hepatitis c infection.

Noting advances in hepatitis C treatment regimens, Walgreens expands access to its hepatitis C–focused patient care program.

Bristol-Myers Squibb's investigational combination of daclatasvir and asunaprevir for type-1b hepatitis C virus infection has received breakthrough therapy designation by the FDA.

Estimates from a national survey indicate that there are 2.7 million people in the United States who are chronically infected with Hepatitis C virus (HCV), a decline over previous years.

Hepatitis C often goes unreported on death certificates and people who have the virus are more likely to die younger than those who don't, according to results from 2 mortality studies.

Scientists have mapped the structure of a hepatitis C virus surface protein that is responsible for binding to host liver cells, leading to virus entry.

Combination therapy using daclatasvir and sofosbuvir has attained a sustained viral response 12 weeks after the end of treatment (SVR12) in more than 90% of patients with hepatitis C, regardless of prior treatment.

The Food and Drug Administration has updated a drug warning label and medication guide for Victrelis (boceprevir) after receiving reports of abnormally low levels of red and white blood cells in patients who received it as part of combination treatment for hepatitis C.

Researchers wanting to untangle the genetic aspect of the hepatitis C virus that allows it to resist treatment discovered that one particular DNA variant acts like a powerful weapon that helps some people to better fight the disease.

Saliva tests for detecting anti–hepatitis C antibodies may not be as effective in patients who also have an HIV infection.

The United States government has lifted a federal ban on the transplantation of organs from deceased HIV-infected donors to HIV-infected recipients, and the ramifications of this action are expected to be great.

Patients with hepatitis C Virus who had not previously had treatment or responded to treatment displayed sustained virologic response in phase 2b of a new study.

The recently approved antivirals boast improved rates of sustained virologic response and fewer, less-severe side effects compared with older treatments.

Patients treated for chronic hepatitis C have increased levels of impulsiveness that is associated with other mental disorders.

Researchers from the Yale University schools of public health and medicine concluded the hepatitis C virus can remain infectious for up to six weeks on surfaces, based on their study results.

The European Association for the Study of the Liver published their updated Clinical Practice Guidelines for the management of the hepatitis C virus, which includes updates regarding people who inject recreational drugs.

Results from an eight-year study in Taiwan demonstrated that antiviral treatment for hepatitis C virus infection is associated with improved renal and cardiovascular outcomes in diabetic patients.

New-onset diabetes mellitus incidence is lower in living donor liver transplant (LDLT) recipients than in deceased donor liver transplant (DDLT) recipients.

A 55-year-old married university professor has past medical history notable only for hypertension treated with hydrochlorothiazide, and no history of intravenous drug abuse or blood transfusions. Should this patient still be screened for hepatitis C?

The FDA has approved the NS3/4A protease inhibitor simeprevir for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C as part of combination antiretroviral therapy in genotype 1 infected adults with compensated liver disease, including cirrhosis.

Hepatitis C, HIV, C. diff, and other infectious diseases can present complex clinical challenges in the hospital setting.

A novel direct-acting antiviral (DAA) targeting a protein associated with hepatitis C (HCV) also has antiviral activity against HIV-1 and shows benefit in co-infected individuals when added to pegylated interferon and ribavirin treatment (PR).

Emerging data from a clinical trial on triple direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy plus ribavirin (RBV) in hepatitis C (HCV) genotype 1 (GT1) patients shows that the low rate of relapse during and after treatment leads to high concordance rates between measurements of sustained viral response (SVR) at 4, 12, and 24 weeks post-treatment.

High medication adherence and sustained viral response (SVR) has been reported in hepatitis C (HCV) patients taking an interferon-free, short-duration, oral regimen of ribavirin (RBV) combined with 3 direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) that are currently in phase 2b/3 clinical trials.

Triple therapy consisting of a protease inhibitor combined with pegylated interferon alfa and ribavirin (PR) may increase sustained viral response (SVR12), but it may be more difficult to tolerate than PR therapy alone.