0000000000455177
AUTHOR
Luigi Guarneri
Is Transient Elastography Needed for Noninvasive Assessment of High-Risk Varices? The REAL Experience
INTRODUCTION: The Baveno VI consensus guidelines and an expanded algorithm suggest that transient elastography (TE) and platelet (PLT) count can be used to identify patients with cirrhosis who can avoid esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). The primary aims of this study were to assess the ability of a simple algorithm, which uses only laboratory parameters, to predict medium/large esophageal varices (EV) in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and cirrhosis from the Rete Sicilia Selezione Terapia-HCV (RESIST-HCV) cohort and to compare the performance of the algorithm with Baveno VI and Expanded Baveno VI criteria. The secondary aim was to assess the role of TE in ruling out large EV. METHODS:…
Clinical characteristics and predictors of death among hospitalized patients infected with SARS‑CoV‑2 in Sicily, Italy: A retrospective observational study
Since late December 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has spread across the world, which resulted in the World Health Organization declaring a global pandemic. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) presents a highly variable spectrum with regard to the severity of illness. Most infected individuals exhibit a mild to moderate illness (81%); however, 14% have a serious disease and 5% develop severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), requiring intensive care support. The mortality rate of COVID-19 continues to rise across the world. Data regarding predictors of mortality in patients with COVID 19 are still scarce but are being actively investigated. The present multi…
Incidence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Patients With HCV-Associated Cirrhosis Treated With Direct-Acting Antiviral Agents.
Background & Aims: Studies have produced conflicting results of the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with hepatitis C virus–associated cirrhosis treated with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). Data from clinics are needed to accurately assess the occurrence rate of HCC in patients with cirrhosis in the real world. Methods: We collected data from a large prospective study of 2,249 consecutive patients (mean age = 65.4 years, 56.9% male) with hepatitis C virus–associated cirrhosis (90.5% with Child-Pugh class A and 9.5% with Child-Pugh class B) treated with DAAs from March 2015 through July 2016 at 22 academic and community liver centers in Sicily, Italy. HCC occurren…