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. 2022 Dec 17;14(12):e32646.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.32646. eCollection 2022 Dec.

Direct-Acting Antiviral Treatment in Albanian Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C and Advanced Liver Fibrosis

Liri Cuko  1 , Sonila Bele  2 , Adriana Babameto  1 , Irgen Tafaj  3 , Arlinda Hysenj  1 , Eva Shagla  1 , Agron Dogjani  4
Affiliations

Direct-Acting Antiviral Treatment in Albanian Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C and Advanced Liver Fibrosis

Liri Cuko et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Background Treating chronic hepatitis C (CHC) with direct-acting antiviral (DAA) is very effective at clearing the infection. In Albania treatment with DAA is limited to patients with liver stiffness F3-F4, and with other co-infections. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of DAA in Albanian patients with genotypes 1-5, who mostly suffer from advanced liver fibrosis. Material and Methods This is a retrospective study carried out at the University Hospital Center "Mother Teresa", Tirana, during 2014-2019, including treatment-naïve and treatment-experienced patients with genotypes 1-5. All patients were evaluated with elastography and most of them were F3-F4. The primary endpoint involved the patients achieving SVR-12, or undetectable hepatitis C virus/ribonucleic acid (HCV RNA) 12 weeks after the end of treatment. In patients without a genotype, we have used a pangenotypic regimen. Results This study included 207 patients with a mean age of 48.9 ± 13.1 years, 56% male and 44% female; 152 (73%) were genotype 1, 24 were (11.5%) genotype 2, nine were (4.3%) genotype 3, 14 were (6.7%) genotype 4, one was (0.4%) genotype 5, and seven (3.8%) unassigned genotypes. The sustained virologic response (SVR) percentage according to genotype is discussed in the article. The overall SVR score of all the patients in our study was >93%. According to elastography, 127 (66%) were F3-F4, and 80 (38.6%) were F1-F2. Conclusion Treatment with DAA proved to be very effective in our patients; most of them had advanced liver fibrosis as well as compensated or decompensated liver cirrhosis. The overall SVR score of the patients in our study was >93%. Our country needs to treat all patients with chronic hepatitis C without limitations to attain the WHO objective of eradicating this disease by 2030.

Keywords: antiviral; chronic hepatitis c; elastography; genotype; liver cirrhosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Virological response (SVR-12) in all patients according to genotypes
SVR: sustained virologic response
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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