Diagnosis and Management of Hepatitis C

A special issue of Diagnostics (ISSN 2075-4418). This special issue belongs to the section "Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2022) | Viewed by 10644

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
2. Hepatitis Research Center, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Interests: hepatitis C virus; hepatitis B virus; hepatic fibrosis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major health problem worldwide. It results in an increased risk of cirrhosis, hepatic decompensation, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and liver transplantation in chronically infected patients who are left untreated. Since the first identification of HCV in 1989, tremendous progress has been made in the natural history, diagnosis, treatment, post-treatment outcomes, and public health perspectives. The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced the goal of HCV elimination in 2030, based on the availability of potent and safe direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) that revolutionize HCV treatment. Furthermore, we have witnessed the remarkable contributions of the Nobel laureates who were dedicated to the basic and clinical science of HCV. Despite these achievements, more efforts should be made in the path toward global HCV elimination.

At this moment, healthcare providers should optimize care by using state-of-the-art knowledge on daily practice in order to improve the outcomes in HCV-infected individuals. This Special Issue in the journal Diagnostics will focus on articles covering a range of topics including epidemiology and natural history, novel diagnostic approaches, current treatment options in usual and special populations, diagnostic challenges in viral resistance before and after antiviral treatment, post-interventional health-related outcomes, and public health perspectives.

It is therefore my pleasure to invite submissions of high-quality research-based or review papers related to the aforementioned topics to create a timely and highly relevant collection of articles addressing this pertinent medical problem.

Dr. Chenhua Liu
Guest Editor

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 723 KiB  
Article
Perceived Stress in Hepatitis C Virus Infected Patients under the DAA-Based Therapy
by Claudia Monica Danilescu, Mihaela Ionescu, Daniela Larisa Sandulescu, Mihail Cristian Pirlog, Costin Teodor Streba and Ion Rogoveanu
Diagnostics 2022, 12(5), 1177; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics12051177 - 9 May 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1821
Abstract
The Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection often associates medical and mental health conditions which lead to increased levels of distress. Our study aimed at assessing the level of perceived stress on a sample of 90 HCV infected patients treated with Direct-Acting Antiviral (DAA) [...] Read more.
The Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection often associates medical and mental health conditions which lead to increased levels of distress. Our study aimed at assessing the level of perceived stress on a sample of 90 HCV infected patients treated with Direct-Acting Antiviral (DAA) agents for 12 weeks, and its possible correlations with clinical and evolutionary elements. The evaluation was conducted in three phases: before administration of the DAAs (BSL), at the End of the Treatment (EOT), and 24 weeks after the BSL (Sustained Viral Response—SVR). The perceived stress was measured using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The efficiency of the DAA treatment reduced the levels of stress (98.99% moderate and high stress at BSL to 70.00% at SVR). It was observed, for the entire study period (BSL to SVR), that the decrease in the perceived stress severity was significantly associated with demographic items such as gender (p < 0.01), urban environment (p < 0.001), the age of the subjects (p < 0.05), and clinical data such as F4 degree of fibrosis (p = 0.001) and overweight or obesity class II (p < 0.01). The perceived stress is directly associated with the severity of the HCV infection, and it could be significantly lowered by an efficient therapeutic approach, as DAAs are nowadays. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnosis and Management of Hepatitis C)
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12 pages, 875 KiB  
Article
Distribution of Primary Resistance Mutations in Saint Petersburg in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C
by Diana Valutite, Yulia Ostankova, Alexandr Semenov, Liudmila Lyalina and Areg Totolian
Diagnostics 2022, 12(5), 1054; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics12051054 - 22 Apr 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1729
Abstract
The advent of direct-acting antiviral drugs (DAAs) was a breakthrough in the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C, yet high viral replication errors can lead to the development of resistance associated variants (RAVs). Thus, assessment of RAV in infected patients is necessary [...] Read more.
The advent of direct-acting antiviral drugs (DAAs) was a breakthrough in the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C, yet high viral replication errors can lead to the development of resistance associated variants (RAVs). Thus, assessment of RAV in infected patients is necessary to monitor treatment effectiveness. The aim of our study was to investigate the presence of primary resistance mutations in the NS3 and NS5 regions of HCV in treatment-naive patients. Samples were taken from 42 patients with HCV who had not previously received DAA treatment. In the present study, we used the method for determining drug resistance mutations based on direct sequencing of the NS3, NS5A, and NS5B genes developed by the Saint Petersburg Pasteur Institute. Primary mutations associated with resistance were detected in 5 patients (12%). According to the Geno2pheno [hcv] 0.92 database, nucleotide substitutions were identified in various viral genes conferring resistance or decreased sensitivity to the respective inhibitors. This study has shown different mutations in the analyzed genes in patients with HCV who had not previously received DAA treatment. These mutations may increase the likelihood of treatment failure in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnosis and Management of Hepatitis C)
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10 pages, 659 KiB  
Article
Prevalence of Occult Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Egyptian Patients with Lymphoma: A New Vision
by Kholoud A. Elkashef, Wafaa A. Emam, Noha M. Mesbah, Dina M. Abo-Elmatty and Asmaa R. Abdel-Hamed
Diagnostics 2022, 12(4), 1015; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics12041015 - 17 Apr 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2274
Abstract
Occult hepatitis C virus infection (OCI) is the absence of HCV RNA in serum and the presence of actively replicating HCV RNA in hepatocytes and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), as evidenced by the presence of antigenomic negative sense single-stranded RNA. This study [...] Read more.
Occult hepatitis C virus infection (OCI) is the absence of HCV RNA in serum and the presence of actively replicating HCV RNA in hepatocytes and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), as evidenced by the presence of antigenomic negative sense single-stranded RNA. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of OCI in Egyptian lymphoma patients and assess changes in biochemical parameters in patients with confirmed OCI. The current study was conducted on 100 apparently healthy subjects as control group and 100 patients with lymphoma as a case group. HCV RNA was extracted and detected in both plasma and PBMCs using qRT-PCR. Total protein, albumin, ALT, AST, and total and direct bilirubin were measured in serum. OCI was detected in 6% of the patient group. OCI patients had lower levels of total protein and serum albumin and higher ALT and AST compared with lymphoma patients without OCI. Our study revealed that six out of 100 patients with lymphoma disorders had occult HCV infection (6%). Therefore, the possibility of this infection should be considered in patients with lymphoma. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnosis and Management of Hepatitis C)
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12 pages, 1116 KiB  
Article
Depressive and Anxious Symptoms in Hepatitis C Virus Infected Patients Receiving DAA-Based Therapy
by Claudia Monica Danilescu, Daniela Larisa Sandulescu, Mihail Cristian Pirlog, Costin Teodor Streba and Ion Rogoveanu
Diagnostics 2021, 11(12), 2237; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics11122237 - 29 Nov 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2107
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) represents the most important etiologic factor for advanced fibrosis/cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma associated with a psychological dimension. Our study aims to assess, on a sample comprising of 90 HCV-infected subjects (96.67% F3–F4 METAVIR), the relationship between Direct-Acting Antiviral (DAA) [...] Read more.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) represents the most important etiologic factor for advanced fibrosis/cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma associated with a psychological dimension. Our study aims to assess, on a sample comprising of 90 HCV-infected subjects (96.67% F3–F4 METAVIR), the relationship between Direct-Acting Antiviral (DAA) therapies and the psychological effects of the liver disease, focused on the anxious and depressive symptoms. The comprehensive evaluation was done before starting the DAA treatment (BSL), after 12 weeks (End of Treatment—EOT), respectively after another 12 weeks (Sustained Viral Response—SVR). Presumable depressive and/or anxious symptoms were evaluated by Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The reported depressive symptoms decreased from 21.11% (BSL) to 1.11% (SVR) (p < 0.00001), while the anxious ones dropped from 43.34% (BSL) to 4.44% (SVR) (p < 0.00001), without a clear evolutionary pattern. We identified no statistically significant interaction between comorbidities (anemia, CKD, obesity) over HADS scores evolution (p > 0.05), while the DAAs side-effects (fatigue, headache, pruritus) significantly influenced the anxious and depressive symptoms (p < 0.05). During and after the DAA-based therapy, patients with HCV infection presented a significantly reduced rate of the associated depressive and anxious relevant symptoms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnosis and Management of Hepatitis C)
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Review

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15 pages, 303 KiB  
Review
Noninvasive Diagnosis of Hepatic Fibrosis in Hemodialysis Patients with Hepatitis C Virus Infection
by Chen-Hua Liu and Jia-Horng Kao
Diagnostics 2022, 12(10), 2282; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics12102282 - 21 Sep 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1657
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major health problem in hemodialysis patients, which leads to significant morbidity and mortality through progressive hepatic fibrosis or cirrhosis. Percutaneous liver biopsy is the gold standard to stage hepatic fibrosis. However, it is an invasive procedure with [...] Read more.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major health problem in hemodialysis patients, which leads to significant morbidity and mortality through progressive hepatic fibrosis or cirrhosis. Percutaneous liver biopsy is the gold standard to stage hepatic fibrosis. However, it is an invasive procedure with postbiopsy complications. Because uremia may significantly increase the risk of fatal and nonfatal bleeding events, the use of noninvasive means to assess the severity of hepatic fibrosis is particularly appealing to hemodialysis patients. To date, researchers have evaluated the performance of various biochemical, serological, and radiological indices for hepatic fibrosis in hemodialysis patients with HCV infection. In this review, we will summarize the progress of noninvasive indices for assessing hepatic fibrosis and propose a pragmatic recommendation to diagnose the stage of hepatic fibrosis with a noninvasive index, in hemodialysis patients with HCV infection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnosis and Management of Hepatitis C)
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