Why are Patients Missing Their Initial HCV Treatment Appointments?
“Results of the case-control retrospective chart review showed patients who missed their initial scheduled infectious disease clinic appointment for HCV treatment had greater rates of housing instability, transportation difficulties, and medication non-adherence compared to patients who attended their first treatment appointment.”
Patients who accepted infected kidneys cured of hepatitis C
“NEW YORK (AP) — Some patients in desperate need of a kidney transplant participated in a bold experiment where they received organs infected with hepatitis C. The gamble paid off. Their new organs are working fine thanks to medication that got rid of the virus, researchers reported Monday.”
The Prevalence of Depression and Its Potential Link to Liver Fibrosis in Patients Diagnosed With Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection Prior to the Initiation of Direct-Acting Antiviral Treatment
“Our findings point to a high prevalence of depression in treatment-naive HCV patients. Interestingly, there might be a link between depression severity and the stage of liver fibrosis, with advanced fibrosis potentially associated with more severe depression.”
CBO Report Assesses Budgetary Effects of Potential Policies to Increase Hepatitis C Treatment
“A new report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analyzed 2 sample national policies to increase hepatitis C treatment rates among Medicaid enrollees and found that health care savings fueled by increased hepatitis C treatment would more than offset direct spending on treatment. However, outreach would be key to increase testing and treatment and the associated costs would need to be accounted for, and future work to explore longer-term budgetary effects is needed.”
R01 Grant Will Fund Nationwide Study of Opt-Out HIV and Hepatitis C Testing
“Despite the widespread availability of testing for HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection at Syringe Service Programs (SSPs), a minority of people who inject drugs choose to get tested in these settings.”
Grant Supports Research to Identify Barriers to Health Care for Black Women
“A $1.58 million grant will support work by a health communication scholar at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s College of Nursing and a medical oncologist at West Cancer Center and Research Institute (WCCRI) to identify sociocultural and structural factors that are root causes of cancer health disparities for Black women in the Mid-South.”
Antiviral medications that treat hepatitis C improve long-term outcomes
“The antiviral medications used to treat hepatitis C have a cure rate of 90% — or higher. The success of these medications has also led to new questions: Do cured patients have the same risk of liver disease as those who were never infected? And does everyone who is cured still need routine screening for liver cancer? A new study led by Kaiser Permanente researchers published in Gastro Hep Advances provides some answers.”
