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Comparison of the clinical characteristics and outcomes between leprosy-affected persons in Sorokdo and the general population affected by chronic hepatitis C in Korea.

Abstract

Background/Aims: : Patients with Hansen’s disease are the most vulnerable to hepatitis C; however, no data on the treatment efficacy of direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) are available in this group. Therefore, we elucidated the prevalence and clinical outcomes of hepatitis C in persons affected by leprosy in Sorokdo, Jeollanam-do, Korea.

Methods: : We retrospectively included 50 leprosy patients with positive hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA test results (group A) hospitalized at the Sorokdo National Hospital from May 2016 to March 2018 and 73 patients with chronic hepatitis C who were treated with DAAs at the Chonnam National University Hospital (group B) from May 2016 to December 2017.

Results: : Overall, at the Sorokdo National Hospital, positive HCV antibody and HCV RNA rates were 18.4% and 11%, respectively. The mean participant age was 76.5±7 years, and 58% of participants were males. The genotype incidence was 22 out of 50 (44%) for genotype 1b and 28 out of 50 (56%) for genotype 2. Sustained virologic response was achieved at a rate of 95.5% (21/22) in genotype 1b and 92.9% (26/28) in genotype 2 patients. Ribavirin-induced hemolytic anemia occurred in 57.1% (16/28) of patients with genotype 2. Among these, 28.5% (8/28) received blood transfusions.

Conclusions: : Treatment efficacy was not different between the leprosy-affected population and the general population. However, ribavirin-induced severe hemolytic anemia requiring transfusion was present in 28.5% of genotype 2 patients. Therefore, we suggest ribavirin-free DAAs for the treatment of genotype 2 hepatitis C in leprosy-affected persons in the future.

More information

Type
Journal Article
Author
Ahn Y
Park H
Lee MJ
Kim DH
Cho SB
Cho E
Jun CH
Choi S