A descriptive study of viral hepatitis C status at the center of chronic viral hepatitis treatment in Lattakia
Abstract
Background: Chronic viral hepatitis C is a global problem and a major cause of chronic hepatitis and occupies a significant proportion of the causes of terminal hepatic failure.
Easy access to HCV testing and good surveillance are important steps to increase the number of diagnosed patients and to improve understanding of the distribution of HCV in the general population or in specific samples in high-risk areas.
The prevalence of HCV varies markedly around the world and the highest prevalence is found in Central and Eastern Asia and in the regions of North Africa and the Middle East.
The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of genotypes and incidence rates according to age, sex, and severity of liver damage at diagnosis according to METAVIR score, as well as to study the therapeutic response to antivirals included in the treatment protocols applied in the chronic viral hepatitis treatment center in Lattakia.
Methods: We conducted an observational descriptive study at the Chronic Viral Hepatitis Treatment Center in Lattakia, between 2011 and the end of September 2022.
Results: Our study included 683 patients: 411 males (60.2%) and 272 females (39.8%). The patients' ages ranged between 4 and 78 years, with an average age of 42.3±14.3 years, and the largest percentage of patients was in 2014 compared to the rest of the years (114 patients) and the lowest in 2019 (36 patients). The largest number of patients was from Lattakia governorate with 64.5% (441 patients), followed by patients from Hamah governorate with 6.2% (43 patients), then patients from Aleppo governorate with 5.4% (42 patients). HCV type 4 constitutes the highest percentage of patients with a percentage of (65.6%), followed by genotype 1 with a percentage of (23.7%). The therapeutic response rate in patients of these two types when applying treatment protocols based on Sofosbuvir reached (87.8%), (83.9%) Respectively. We did not notice a significant statistical significance for the simple differences in the treatment response rates among the treated patients, according to: age, gender, genotype and METAVIR score.
Conclusion: The largest number of patients was in 2014 compared to the rest of the years, and the largest proportion of patients was in the age group 41-60 years, the ratio of males to females was 1/1.5, and genotype 4 was the most common, followed by genotype 1a, most patients had normal ALT values at diagnosis, and a higher therapeutic response was observed when Sofosbuvir-containing protocols were applied.
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