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

Andreone, Pietro; Marco, V. Di; Gaeta, Giovanni Battista; Fagiuoli, S.; Vukotic, Ranka; Craxı̀, Antonio

doi:10.1016/j.dld.2019.03.033

Cited by 13 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 55 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Other studies have shown that the lack of knowledge and a low level of awareness are also big barriers to HCV screening ( 19 , 20 ), and the early diagnosis can be the keystone in virus management ( 21 ). A group of experts interviewed to discuss relevant aspects and open issues of chronic hepatitis C in Italy and concluded that one of the main barriers to HCV care is the low screening rate ( 22 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intention to Screen for Hepatitis C Among University Students: Influence of Different Communicative Scenarios

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study aimed to evaluate the influence of different narrative scenarios regarding students' intentions to undergo diagnostic screening for hepatitis C, and whether gender identification with the characters of the scenario could influence the students' intentions to undergo a medical test. A sample of 600 participants was administered three narrative scenarios with different frames (positive, negative, and ambivalent), including two gender options (male and female) for the main character of the story. A statistically significant three-way interaction between scenario, gender identification, and time resulted. There were significant simple main effects on the intention to have a diagnostic test for hepatitis C for the scenarios with the protagonist of the same gender as the participant and after the administration of the negative scenario. The use of a negative scenario with the same gender character was always more effective than the use of a positive framed scenario, even though there was a high level of knowledge regarding the disease. Personal diagnostic testing was not directly associated with knowledge regarding the infection. The findings of this study can ultimately help policymakers develop communication campaigns adapted to target populations such as college students, in order to raise awareness of the risk, promote prevention and behavioral change, and encourage medical screening.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intention to Screen for Hepatitis C Among University Students: Influence of Different Communicative Scenarios

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The first result of our study was that most Italian patients aged from 38 to 67 years, with a wide age range genotyperelated; the youngest were patients with genotype 3 infection (median age 50 years in male and female), and the older were females bearing genotype 2 (median age 72 years). Patients' ages have been analyzed with different approaches in previous Italian studies; 74.1% of individuals with more frequent HCV genotypes/subtypes were older than 41 years in the study by De Conto et al [28], 76.6% of patients aged from 35 to 74 years in the work of Stasi et al [30], who enrolled subjects referring to hepatology units in Tuscany from January 1 st , 2015, to December 31 st , 2015; Buonomo et al [31] found that 54.8% of known HCV+ Naples' patients who visited between January 2016 and March 2017 were >60 years old and the HCV Network Sicily [32] reported that the mean age of subjects registered on the web platform was 61 years and 34% of the subjects were >70 years. Taken together, the data seem to describe an HCV infected population aged similarly to ours: class age 58-67 years is less represented and class age 68-77 years more represented (16% vs. 11.9%) in Italian patients tested the year after the application of wider access criteria to HCV treatment with respect to those tested the year before (15.8% vs. 19.8%, respectively).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Circulating Genotypes of Hepatitis C Virus in Italian Patients before and after the Application of Wider Access Criteria to HCV Treatment

Zago¹,

Pozzetto²,

Pacenti³

et al. 2022

TOMICROJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Aims: The aims of this study were to report a description of the HCV genotype distribution in adult Italians and non-Italians subjects tested in the Microbiology and Virology Unit of the Padova University Hospital from January 2016 (after about one year from the availability of DAAs) to December 2018 and to compare genotype frequencies in the 12-month period before and after the application of the wider access criteria to HCV treatment. Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major health problem, but the availability of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) has dramatically changed HCV disease natural history because these drugs have excellent tolerability and they can eliminate the virus in almost all treated patients. Objective: The objective was to describe the circulating HCV genotypes in high-income countries in order to help health authorities in the future organization of DAAs treatment strategies; this aspect is not limited to drug prescription, but it also includes the identification of infected individuals who are undiagnosed, which is the limiting step to achieve the HCV elimination goal. Methods: Adult patients who had HCV genotype performed from 01/01/16 to 31/12/18 in the Microbiology and Virology Unit of the Padova University Hospital were included in the study: the two 12-month periods were April 2016-March 2017 (before period, BEF) and April 2017-March 2018 (after period, AFT). Results: Italians were 2168 (91.2%) and non-Italians were 208 (8.8%). Italians median age was 55 years, and females were older. Italians had a lower genotype 1 (p=0.0012) and higher genotype 2 frequencies (p<0.0001) with respect to non-Italians. Most patients aged 38-67 years: Italians were more represented in class age 48-57 years (p=0.0138), 68-77 years (p=0.001) and ≥78 years (p<0.0001); subjects with genotype 3 were the youngest and those with genotype 2 the oldest. Italian patients typed in the AFT and BEF were comparable; only a lower frequency of genotype 1 males and younger age in genotype 3 were found in AFT. Conclusion: Italians were older with respect to non-Italians, which implies that a different age based screening program could be applied. Italian genotype 3 subjects represent a cohort to focus on for the risk of therapeutic failure. Patients tested after the extended criteria for HCV treatment were very similar to those tested before, suggesting that HCV burden in Italians is higher than expected.

show abstract

“…30 Alternatively, pragmatic approaches to screening strategies, such as random selection or using a hub-and-spoke model as trialed in Italy, can provide a practical compromise between universal and targeted screening. 31 Regardless of the model employed and populations targeted, screening to identify undiagnosed cases is vital in achieving elimination targets.…”

Section: Screening Programsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simplification of Care for Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) set a target for eliminating viral hepatitis as a major public health threat by 2030. However, while today's highly effective and well-tolerated pangenotypic direct-acting antiviral regimens have maximized simplification of hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment, there remain a plethora of barriers to HCV screening, diagnosis, and linkage to care. As of 2017, only 19% of the estimated 71 million individuals living with chronic HCV worldwide were diagnosed and in 2015 to 2016, only 21% of diagnosed individuals had accessed treatment. Simplification and decentralization of the HCV care cascade would bolster patient engagement and support the considerable scale-up needed to achieve WHO targets. Recent developments in HCV screening and diagnosis, together with reduced pretreatment assessment and on-treatment monitoring requirements, can further streamline the care continuum, ensuring patients are linked to care quickly and earlier in the disease course, and minimize clinic visits.

show abstract

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

Cited by 13 publications

References 55 publications

Intention to Screen for Hepatitis C Among University Students: Influence of Different Communicative Scenarios

Intention to Screen for Hepatitis C Among University Students: Influence of Different Communicative Scenarios

Circulating Genotypes of Hepatitis C Virus in Italian Patients before and after the Application of Wider Access Criteria to HCV Treatment

Simplification of Care for Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About