Significant Correlation Found Between Male Patients with HCV, Advanced Fibrosis

Maria Medina, MD

A new study presented at the 2021 Digestive Disease Week Virtual Meeting aimed to reevaluate the utility of epidemiologic factors as predictors of fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV).

Investigators, led by Maria Medina, MD of the Liver Associates of Texas, found a significant correlation between males and advanced fibrosis in patients with HCV, with both male patients and patients with high BMI correlated with a higher FAST score.

Study

Investigators performed a retrospective study at Liver Associates of Texas for all patients diagnosed with chronic HCV between September 2018 – November 2020.

The team collected information BMI and gender, with a BMI ≥30 kg/­­ identified as obese.

Further, they measured liver stiffness (kPA) from transient elastography (Fibroscan), with FAST scores used as markers for fibrosis.

Medina and colleagues used a multivariate linear regression model to find correlation of patient characteristic in comparison to kPa and FAST scores.

They established significance with P <.05.

Results

A total of 198 patients were included in the study, with 54.3% being male and aged 60.8 ± 11.9 years old.

Of the 198 patients, investigators found 37.4% were obese, 30.3% were overweight, 26.8% were a normal weight, 4% were underweight and 1.5% were unknown.

They noted that the average BMI and liver stiffness by kPa were 29.1 kg/­­­ and 13.1

After controlling 1 gender in the population, the team found male patients had a correlation with higher degree of fibrosis by kPa (β = 4.78, P <0.04, 95% CI, 0.19 – 9.372).

Further, the investigators found male patents showed a correlation with a higher degree of fibrosis by FAST score.

Conclusion

Investigators concluded that a significant correlation was found between male gender and advanced fibrosis, with males and patients with high BMI both correlated with a higher FAST score.

“These finding may facilitate early detection and monitoring of CHC patients who are at higher susceptibility of advanced liver fibrosis, especially in the primary care setting,” investigators wrote.

The study, “Specific Epidemiologic Factors Correlate with Higher Degree of Hepatic Fibrosis in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C (CHC),” was published online by DDW.