Current and forthcoming perspectives in linkage to care of hepatitis C virus infection: Assessment of an Italian focus group

Abstract Hepatitis C virus (HCV) remains a significant public health problem and is one of the major causes of chronic liver disease worldwide. In recent years many new tools to facilitate widespread HCV screening and new therapeutic options with excellent efficacy and tolerability profiles and cost lowering policies have become available. To fully utilise these new tools, the link between local and specialist centres for the management of HCV infection must be reinforced. In order to GAIN further insight into these aspects, with a particular focus on the Italian scenario, a group of experts met to discuss relevant aspects and open issues on chronic HCV. As a summary of that meeting, the fo…

Peginterferon-Α_2B plus ribavirin is more effective than peginterferon-Α_2A plus ribavirin in menopausal women with chronic hepatitis C

Summary.  Under-enrolment of women to randomized clinical trials, including chronic hepatitis C, has long been recognized. The aim of this study was to identify factors predictive of sustained virological response (SVR) to PEG IFN/Ribavirin antiviral therapy in relation to gender and reproductive status of female patients involved. Seven hundred and forty-six treatment-naive patients (431 men, 315 women) treated with Peg-IFNα-2a (180 μg/week) or Peg-IFNα-2b (1.5 μg/kg/week) plus ribavirin (800–1400  mg/day) for 24 or 48 weeks were studied between 2006 and 2010. Differences in SVR rate, overall and by gender were assessed after adjustment and propensity score matching. SVR was obtained in 44…

Reproductive status is associated with the severity of fibrosis in women with hepatitis C.

Introduction Chronic hepatitis C is the main cause of death in patients with end-stage liver disease. Prognosis depends on the increase of fibrosis, whose progression is twice as rapid in men as in women. Aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of reproductive stage on fibrosis severity in women and to compare these findings with age-matched men. Materials and Methods A retrospective study of 710 consecutive patients with biopsy-proven chronic hepatitis C was conducted, using data from a clinical database of two tertiary Italian care centers. Four age-matched groups of men served as controls. Data about demographics, biochemistry, liver biopsy and ultrasonography were analyzed. Contrib…

Validation and refinement of PROSASH model using the neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio in patients with HCC receiving sorafenib

Enoxaparin Prevents Portal Vein Thrombosis and Liver Decompensation in Patients With Advanced Cirrhosis

BACKGROUND & AIMS: We performed a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of enoxaparin, a low-molecular-weight heparin, in preventing portal vein thrombosis (PVT) in patients with advanced cirrhosis. METHODS: In a nonblinded, single-center study, 70 outpatients with cirrhosis (Child-Pugh classes B7-C10) with demonstrated patent portal veins and without hepatocellular carcinoma were assigned randomly to groups that were given enoxaparin (4000 IU/day, subcutaneously for 48 weeks; n = 34) or no treatment (controls, n = 36). Ultrasonography (every 3 months) and computed tomography (every 6 months) were performed to check the portal vein axis. The primary outcome was pre…