scholarly journals The management of infants, children, and youth at risk for hepatitis C virus infection

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 440-440
Author(s):  
Ari Bitnun
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Hepatitis C Virus ◽  
Hepatitis C ◽  
Hcv Infection ◽  
Children And Youth ◽  
At Risk Youth ◽  
Virologic Suppression ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Chronic Hcv ◽  
Direct Acting

Abstract Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection affects 0.5% to 1.0% of the Canadian population. Most paediatric HCV infections are a consequence of vertical transmission or, among youth and young adults, the result of engaging in high-risk behaviours, such as injection drug use and unprotected sexual activity. It is now recommended that all infants, children, and youth with one or more risk factors be screened for HCV infection. Treating chronic HCV infection with direct-acting antivirals has been shown to achieve sustained virologic suppression in 97% to 100% of children as young as 3 years old. Paediatricians and family physicians have an important role in educating youth regarding HCV infection risks and prevention, and in advocating to government and public health authorities for comprehensive harm reduction interventions targeting at-risk youth, accessible treatments, and routine prenatal screening for HCV.

Direct-acting Antivirals for Hepatitis C Virus in Patients on Maintenance Dialysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (10) ◽  
pp. 531-541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabrizio Fabrizi ◽  
Francesca M. Donato ◽  
Piergiorgio Messa
Keyword(s):  
Hepatitis C Virus ◽  
Hepatitis C ◽  
Severe Renal Impairment ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Hcv Infection ◽  
Direct Acting Antivirals ◽  
Safety And Efficacy ◽  
Maintenance Dialysis ◽  
Chronic Hcv ◽  
Direct Acting

The frequency of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains high in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and plays a detrimental role in mortality in this population. According to the latest survey, the adjusted hazard ratio for HCV-positive versus HCV-negative patients on long-term dialysis was 1.12 (95% CI, 1.05 to 1.20) and 1.10 (95% CI, 0.98 to 1.22) for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, respectively. An impairment on quality of life has also been documented in HCV-infected patients undergoing regular dialysis. Most clinicians have been so far reluctant to treat hepatitis C in patients with advanced CKD, due to concerns regarding low efficacy and safety of interferon-based regimens. The advent of all-oral, direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) has revolutionized treatment paradigms for HCV, including patients with other comorbidities such as CKD. Two combinations of DAAs have been recently approved for the treatment of HCV in advanced CKD: elbasvir/grazoprevir (evaluated in 1 randomized controlled trial) and ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir/dasabuvir with or without ribavirin (examined in some observational, single-arm studies). These antiviral combinations have provided high safety and efficacy (SVR12 rates >90%) in HCV-infected patients with stage 4–5 CKD. Sofosbuvir, a nucleotide analogue inhibitor of the HCV NS5B polymerase, is the cornerstone of most anti-HCV current regimens but is not currently recommended for patients with severe renal insufficiency (eGFR <30 mL/min per 1.73 m2). However, several small-sized studies have been published on the safety and efficacy of sofosbuvir-based regimens for patients with hepatitis C on maintenance dialysis>; overall, the viral response was satisfactory (SVR12 rates ranging between 58% and 100%) with a few drug-related drop-outs. Studies are in progress to assess whether ribavirin-free antiviral combinations with novel DAAs are a viable option for patients with severe renal impairment and chronic HCV infection.

scholarly journals Sustained Virological Response after 8-Week Treatment of Simeprevir with Peginterferon α-2a plus Ribavirin in a Japanese Female with Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 1b and IL28B Minor Genotype

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatsuo Kanda ◽  
Masato Nakamura ◽  
Reina Sasaki ◽  
Shin Yasui ◽  
Shingo Nakamoto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatitis C Virus ◽  
Hepatitis C ◽  
Adverse Events ◽  
Sustained Virological Response ◽  
Virological Response ◽  
Hcv Infection ◽  
Direct Acting Antivirals ◽  
Chronic Hcv ◽  
Direct Acting ◽  
Peginterferon Α

Direct-acting antivirals with or without peginterferon α (PEG-IFN α) plus ribavirin are now available for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Direct-acting antivirals are potent inhibitors of HCV replication, but some of them occasionally possess serious adverse events. We experienced a 64-year-old female with chronic HCV genotype 1b infection who showed elevated alanine aminotransferase of 528 IU/l at week 9 after the commencement of treatment of simeprevir with PEG-IFN α-2a plus ribavirin. However, she achieved sustained virological response at week 24 after the end of treatment. In Japan, we also have to treat elderly patients infected with HCV and/or advanced hepatic fibrosis. Until an effective interferon-free regimen is established, direct-acting antivirals with PEG-IFN plus ribavirin may still play a role in the treatment for certain patients. To avoid serious results from adverse events, careful attention and follow-up will be needed in the treatment course of simeprevir with PEG-IFN plus ribavirin for chronic HCV infection.

scholarly journals Successful sofosbuvir lead-in monotherapy for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in a pregnant woman living with HIV

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. e230529 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charisse Mandimika ◽  
Onyema Ogbuagu
Keyword(s):  
Hepatitis C Virus ◽  
Pregnant Woman ◽  
Hepatitis C ◽  
Perinatal Transmission ◽  
Hcv Infection ◽  
Hiv Protease ◽  
Virologic Suppression ◽  
Simplex Virus ◽  
Direct Acting ◽  
Living With Hiv

A 30-year-old woman living with HIV was diagnosed with genotype 2b hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection during the second trimester of her pregnancy. She had achieved virologic suppression on an HIV protease inhibitor-based regimen and had recurrent genital herpes simplex virus infection managed with antivirals. Given the risk of perinatal transmission of HCV and to avoid performing a caesarean section, after multidisciplinary consultations and consideration of the limited data on safety on HCV direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) in pregnancy, she consented to and was successfully treated with a 6-week lead-in course of sofosbuvir (SOF) alone followed by a 6-week course of SOF and velpatasvir postpartum. This resulted in cure of her HCV infection. The neonate tested negative for HCV at birth and was healthy without birth defects 2 years postdelivery. Our case highlights a successful HCV treatment approach in a pregnant woman with newer DAAs.

scholarly journals Immunological Mechanisms for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Risk after Direct-Acting Antiviral Treatment of Hepatitis C Virus Infection

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 221
Author(s):  
Pil Soo Sung ◽  
Eui-Cheol Shin
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
T Cells ◽  
Hepatitis C Virus ◽  
Hepatitis C ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Hcv Infection ◽  
Direct Acting Antiviral ◽  
Chronic Hcv Infection ◽  
Chronic Hcv ◽  
Direct Acting

Direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) that allow for rapid clearance of hepatitis C virus (HCV) may evoke immunological changes. Some cases of rapid de novo hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development or early recurrence of HCC after DAA treatment have been reported. During chronic HCV infection, natural killer (NK) cells exhibited a deviant functional phenotype with decreased production of antiviral cytokines and increased cytotoxicity; however, DAA treatment rapidly decreased their cytotoxic function. Effective DAA therapy also suppressed the intrahepatic activation of macrophages/monocytes. This was followed by a decrease in mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cell cytotoxicity without normalization of cytokine production. Rapid changes in the phenotypes of NK and MAIT cells after DAA treatment may attenuate the cytotoxicity of these cells against cancer cells. Moreover, DAA treatment did not normalize the increased frequencies of regulatory T cells even after clearance of HCV infection. Thus, the persistently increased frequency of regulatory T cells may contribute to a local immunosuppressive milieu and hamper the clearance of cancer cells. This review will focus on recent studies describing the changes in innate and adaptive immune responses after DAA treatment in patients with chronic HCV infection in the context of de novo occurrence or recurrence of HCC.

scholarly journals The efficacy and safety of direct-acting antiviral drugs in the management of hepatitis C virus-related arthritis

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samah M. Alian ◽  
Mohamed Othman Wahba ◽  
Ahmed Fathy Gomaa ◽  
Sahar S. Khalil
Keyword(s):  
Hepatitis C Virus ◽  
Hepatitis C ◽  
Sustained Viral Response ◽  
Hcv Infection ◽  
Direct Acting Antiviral ◽  
Group I ◽  
Group Ii ◽  
Chronic Hcv ◽  
Direct Acting ◽  
Post Therapy

Abstract Background Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a worldwide disease. HCV-related arthritis is one of the extrahepatic manifestations of the disease. The treatment of chronic HCV has been revolutionized with the introduction of oral direct-acting antiviral (DAA) drugs. We aim to determine the outcomes of treatment by the combination of sofosbuvir-daclatasvir with or without ribavirin in patients with HCV-related arthritis. Results Post-therapy, all group I patients had sustained viral response. Significant improvement of the outcome parameters was found 12 weeks post-treatment in group I compared to baseline and group II. Complete and partial remission of articular symptoms in group I patients was observed in 80% and 5%, respectively, while 85% of patients in group II showed no remission. Few mild side effects were encountered with therapy. Conclusion The combination of sofosbuvir-daclatasvir with or without ribavirin is an effective and safe therapy for eradication of HCV infection and amelioration of HCV-related arthritis.

scholarly journals Hepatitis C Virus

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan R. Honegger
Keyword(s):  
Hepatitis C Virus ◽  
Liver Disease ◽  
Hepatitis C ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Hcv Infection ◽  
Effective Vaccine ◽  
Direct Acting Antiviral ◽  
Chronic Hcv ◽  
Direct Acting

An estimated 185 million individuals have been infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) worldwide. Although often clinically silent for decades, chronic HCV infection predisposes to late-onset complications, including liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HCV affects approximately 5% of children born to viremic mothers and is the primary route of HCV infection in young children. While some vertically acquired HCV infections are resolved during the first years of life, many persist indefinitely. Chronically infected children tend to be asymptomatic and have mild liver disease, but they face a risk of progression to advanced liver disease in adulthood. Current diagnostic and management strategies leave most infected children undiagnosed and untreated. Widespread use of newly-available direct-acting antiviral therapies has the potential to substantially reduce the global burden of HCV, including vertically acquired HCV, but an effective vaccine likely will be required to achieve this ultimate goal.

Genetic polymorphisms as the predictors of response to antiviral treatment in chronic hepatitis C virus infection

2011 ◽  
Vol 152 (22) ◽  
pp. 876-881
Author(s):  
Alajos Pár
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Hepatitis ◽  
Hepatitis C Virus ◽  
Hepatitis C ◽  
Genetic Polymorphisms ◽  
Chronic Hepatitis C ◽  
Genome Wide Association Study ◽  
Antiviral Treatment ◽  
Hcv Infection ◽  
Snp Analysis ◽  
Chronic Hcv

The review discusses the genetic polymorphisms involved in the pathogenesis of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, that may determine the outcome of disease. In this field earlier both certain major histocompatibility complex (MHC) alleles and some cytokine gene variants have also been studied. Recently, the genome-wide association study (GWAS) and targeted single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis have revealed that a variant in the promoter region of interleukin-28B (IL-28B) gene is strongly linked to viral clearance and it may be the strongest pretreatment predictor of treatment response in chronic hepatitis C. Last year it was shown that two genetic variants leading to inosine triphosphatase deficiency protect against haemolytic anemia in patients receiving ribavirin during antiviral treatment for chronic HCV infection. Orv. Hetil., 2011, 152, 876–881.

When Coadministration Cannot Be Avoided: Real World Experience of Direct Acting Antivirals for the Treatment of Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Patients on First Generation Anticonvulsants

2020 ◽  
pp. 089719002097776
Author(s):  
Kayla M. Natali ◽  
Humberto R. Jimenez ◽  
Jihad Slim
Keyword(s):  
Drug Interaction ◽  
Hepatitis C ◽  
Clinical Cure ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Virologic Response ◽  
Hcv Infection ◽  
Direct Acting Antivirals ◽  
Chronic Hcv Infection ◽  
Chronic Hcv ◽  
Direct Acting

Background Coadministration of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and first generation anticonvulsants is currently not recommended due to a drug-drug interaction that could potentially lead to subtherapeutic DAA levels and subsequent treatment failure. Currently, there is limited data evaluating this interaction and timely treatment of HCV infection with DAAs is imperative to prevent liver-related morbidity and mortality. Methods A retrospective case series evaluating clinical cure of chronic HCV infection, defined as sustained virologic response (SVR) 12 weeks after completion of DAA therapy, in patients from three inner-city clinics who remained on first generation anticonvulsants during the treatment course. Results A total of five patients received standard dose DAAs for treatment of chronic HCV infection while being maintained on first generation anticonvulsants. The most common HCV genotype was 1a (80%), followed by 1b (20%). The majority of patients were treated with glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (80%) for eight weeks and one patient was treated with ledipasvir/sofosbuvir for 12 weeks. Anticonvulsant regimens consisted of carbamazepine, phenytoin, phenytoin plus phenobarbital, phenytoin plus levetiracetam, and phenobarbital plus lacosamide. All five patients achieved sustained virologic response (SVR) despite this drug-drug interaction. Conclusion Although every effort to prevent concomitant use of DAAs and potent inducers should be made, clinical cure may still be achieved in patients whom cannot avoid this coadministration.

Enhanced immune responses, PI3K/AKT and JAK/STAT signaling pathways following hepatitis C virus eradication by direct-acting antiviral therapy among Egyptian patients: a case control study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haidi Karam-Allah Ramadan ◽  
Gamal Badr ◽  
Nancy K Ramadan ◽  
Aml Sayed
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Liver Cirrhosis ◽  
Hepatitis C Virus ◽  
Hepatitis C ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
Liver Diseases ◽  
Stat Signaling ◽  
Chronic Hcv ◽  
Direct Acting

Abstract The use of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) therapy for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) results in a high sustained virological response (SVR) and subsequently alters liver immunologic environment. However, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) may occur after DAAs treatment. We aimed to clarify changes of immune responses, PI3K/AKT and JAK/STAT signaling pathways in HCV-induced liver diseases and HCC following DAAs treatment. Four cohorts are classified as chronic HCV patients, HCV-related cirrhosis without HCC, HCV-related cirrhosis and HCC, and healthy control group. The patient groups were further divided into treated or untreated with DAAs with SVR12. Increased percentages of CD3, CD8 and CD4, decreased CD4/FoxP3/CD25, CD8/PD-1 and CD19/PDL-1 were found in DAAs-treated patients in the three HCV groups. Following DAAs therapy, the levels of ROS, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α were significantly decreased in the three HCV groups. Treated HCV patients showed up regulation of p-AKT and p-STAT5 and down regulation of p-STAT3, HIF-1α and COX-2. In conclusion, DAAs enhance the immune response in chronic HCV and liver cirrhosis, hence our study is the first to show change in PI3K/AKT and JAK/STAT signaling pathways in different HCV-induced liver diseases after DAAs. In chronic HCV, DAAs have better impact on the immune response while in liver cirrhosis not all immune changes were prominent.

Oncogenic transcriptomic profile is sustained in the liver after the eradication of the hepatitis C virus

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haruhiko Takeda ◽  
Atsushi Takai ◽  
Eriko Iguchi ◽  
Masako Mishima ◽  
Soichi Arasawa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatitis C Virus ◽  
Hepatitis C ◽  
Molecular Basis ◽  
Elevated Serum ◽  
Gene Clusters ◽  
Viral Clearance ◽  
Hcv Infection ◽  
Transcriptomic Profile ◽  
Direct Acting ◽  
Liver Tissues

Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) developing after hepatitis C virus (HCV) eradication is a serious clinical concern. However, molecular basis for the hepatocarcinogenesis after sustained virologic response (SVR) remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to unveil the transcriptomic profile of post-SVR liver tissues and explore the molecules associated with post-SVR carcinogenesis. We analysed 90 RNA-sequencing datasets, consisting of noncancerous liver tissues including 20 post-SVR, 40 HCV-positive and 7 normal livers, along with Huh7 cell line specimens before and after HCV infection and eradication. Comparative analysis demonstrated that cell cycle- and mitochondrial function-associated pathways were altered only in HCV-positive noncancerous liver tissues, while some cancer-related pathways were upregulated in the noncancerous liver tissues of both post-SVR and HCV-positive cases. The persistent upregulation of carcinogenesis-associated gene clusters after viral clearance was reconfirmed through in vitro experiments, of which, CYR61, associated with liver fibrosis and carcinogenesis in several cancer types, was the top enriched gene and co-expressed with cell proliferation-associated gene modules. To evaluate whether this molecule could be a predictor of hepatocarcinogenesis after cure of HCV infection, we also examined 127 sera from independent HCV-positive cohorts treated with direct-acting antivirals, including 60 post-SVR-HCC patients, and found that the elevated serum Cyr61 was significantly associated with early carcinogenesis after receiving direct-acting antiviral therapy. In conclusion, some oncogenic transcriptomic profiles are sustained in liver tissues after HCV eradication, which might be a molecular basis for the liver cancer development even after viral clearance. Among them, upregulated CYR61 could be a possible biomarker for post-SVR HCC.

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