The effect of anemia on the efficacy and safety of treating chronic hepatitis C infection with direct-acting antivirals in patients with chronic kidney disease

Laboratory Biochemical and Hematological Parameters: Early Predictive Biomarkers for Diagnosing Hepatitis C Virus Infection

BACKGROUND

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a worldwide concern, causing liver damage and necessitating early detection to prevent its spread. Studies indicate that evaluating changes in biochemical and hematological parameters, which serve as suitable predictors of inflammation, can be a reasonable method for diagnosing hepatitis C infection.

METHODS

This study analyzed 100 samples from high-risk patients positively identified via quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). Anti-HCV titers, biochemical and inflammatory tests, and complete blood cell counts (CBCs) were performed for these individuals. Additionally, 100 HCV-negative individuals with normal laboratory results were selected as the control group. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to determine the cutoff values of the laboratory parameters.

RESULTS

According to the findings, the age, average white blood cell (WBC) count, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), total bilirubin (TBIL), direct bilirubin (DBIL), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (SGPT), and ferritin levels were significantly higher in HCV patients. On the other hand, red blood cell (RBC) counts, neutrophils, lymphocytes, hemoglobin-to-platelet ratio (HPR), and iron (Fe) levels were significantly lower in the case group compared to those in the control group (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the ROC curve analysis revealed that lymphocyte count, neutrophil count, and PLR were very strong predictors for hepatitis C infection (p < 0.0001, AUC = 1).

CONCLUSION

The study highlights significant biochemical and hematological differences between HCV patients and healthy subjects. These biomarkers are crucial for early diagnosis, potentially preventing liver damage and reducing HCV transmission.

A Systematic Review of Direct-Acting Antivirals for Hepatitis C in Advanced CKD

Introduction

Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) have improved treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). To facilitate the 2022 update of the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) guideline for CKD patients with HCV, we systematically reviewed DAA regimens in patients with CKD stages G4 and G5 nondialysis (G4-G5ND), CKD stage G5 on dialysis (G5D), and kidney transplant recipients (KTRs).

Methods

We conducted a systematic review by searching PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, CINAHL, and ClinicalTrials.gov through February 1, 2022, and conferences from 2019 to 2021. Studies of HCV-infected patients with CKD G4-G5ND, G5D, and KTRs treated with specified DAA regimens were included. Outcomes included death at 6 months or later, sustained virologic response at 12 weeks (SVR12), serious adverse events (SAEs) attributed to DAA, and treatment discontinuation because of adverse events. Maximum likelihood meta-analyses were determined; certainty of evidence was assessed per GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation).

Results

We identified 106 eligible studies (22 reported on CKD G4-G5ND, 69 on CKD G5D, and 29 on KTRs). In each population, the majority of DAA regimens achieved SVR12 ≥ 93%. We found generally low quality of evidence of low risk of SAEs (mostly 0%, up to 2.9%) and low risk of discontinuation because of adverse events (mostly 0%-5%). Across 3 unadjusted observational studies in KTRs, the risk of death after DAA treatment was substantially lower than without treatment (summary odds ratio, 0.16; 95% CI, 0.04-0.61).

Conclusion

Combination DAA regimens are safe and highly effective in patients with advanced CKD, on dialysis, and with kidney transplants.

Safety and effectiveness of direct-acting antivirals in patients with chronic hepatitis C and chronic kidney disease

BACKGROUND/AIMS

To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of direct acting antivirals (DAAs) available in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in Korea.

METHODS

In a retrospective, multicenter cohort study, 362 patients were enrolled from 2015 to 2019. The effectiveness and safety of DAAs including glecaprevir/pibrentasvir, sofosubvir/ribavirin, ledipasvir/sofosbuvir, and daclatasvir/asunaprevir were analyzed for patients according to CKD stage. We evaluated sustained virologic response at week 12 after treatment (SVR12) as primary endpoint. The effectiveness and safety were also evaluated according to CKD stage.

RESULTS

Among 362 patients, 307 patients completed DAAs treatment and follow-up period after end of treatment. The subjects comprised 87 patients (62 with CKD stage 3 and 25 with CKD stage (4-5), of whom 22 were undergoing hemodialysis). HCV patients with CKD stage 1 and 2 (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] ≥ 60 mL/min/1.73 m2) showed SVR12 of 97.2% and 95.4% respectively. SVR12 of CKD stage 3 and 4-5 (eGFR &lt; 60 mL/min/1.73 m2) patients was 91.9% and 91.6% respectively. Patients undergoing hemodialysis achieved SVR12 (90.9%). Treatment failure of DAAs in stage 1, 2, 3, and 4-5 was 2.8%, 2.7%, 1.6%, and 4%. DAAs showed good safety profile and did not affect deterioration of renal function.

CONCLUSION

DAAs shows comparable SVR12 and safety in CKD patients (stage 3, 4, and 5) with HCV compared with patients with stage 1 and 2. The effectiveness and safety of DAAs may be related to the treatment duration. Therefore, it is important to select adequate regimens of DAAs and to increase treatment adherence.

Determination of Risk Factors Associated with the Failure of 12 Weeks of Direct-Acting Antiviral Therapy in Patients with Hepatitis C: A Prospective Study

Introduction

Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) have significantly improved the efficacy and tolerability of the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV). However, studies conducted on actual patients with the aim of predicting the risk associated with treatment failure are lacking.

Methods

Our study enrolled 334 new HCV patients and assessed the effectiveness of treatment and predicted the risk of failure to achieve sustained virological response (SVR) by developing a multiple logistic model. Our study compared the variables between the two groups, those who did (group 0, n = 239) and did not achieve SVR (group 1, n = 95).

Results

The cure rate of HCV at 12^th week in our study was 71.56%. We found that advanced cirrhosis, HCV genotype, HBV coinfection, rapid virological response (RVR), fibrosis index (FIB-4) score, serum levels of AST, ALP, hemoglobin, and viral load before treatment were prognostic factors associated with rate of failure to achieve SVR at week 12 of DAA therapy. In the multiple logistic model, eight significant predictors including advanced cirrhosis status, HCV genotype, RVR, AST/ALP levels, FIB-4 score, and viral load before treatment predicted the risk of failure with excellent model performance (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC_ROC) [95% CI] =0.986 (0.971-0.999)). RVR and advanced cirrhosis were the two strongest predictors with odd ratios (95% CI) =9.72 (2.8, 39.28) and 51.54 (6.39, 139.82), respectively.

Conclusion

The multiple logistic regression model included significant factors to estimate the probability of failure to achieve SVR, which could improve HCV treatment strategy.