People with chronic hepatitis C infection were nearly four times more likely than other health system patients to be hospitalized, and not only with liver-related problems.
An observational cohort study of 10,131 patients with chronic hepatitis C infection (the Chronic Hepatitis Cohort Study) and 20,262 health system patients showed the overall hospitalization rate was 3.7 times higher in patients with chronic hepatitis C.
The study, published online May 15 in the Journal of Viral Hepatitis, found patients with chronic hepatitis C experienced an average of 3.5 hospitalizations over a mean of 5.5 years follow-up, compared with 1.9 hospitalizations in other patients over an average of 4.8 years. Investigators excluded HCV patients with HIV or hepatitis B coinfection, or who had received a liver transplant.
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Hospitalization rates in both groups were significantly higher among patients who were older than 65 years, black, or who had a household income less than $15,000 per year (J Viral Hepat. 2016 May 15. doi: 10.1111/jvh.12548).
Patients with chronic hepatitis C had a nearly 25-fold greater risk of being hospitalized with liver-related conditions, compared with other health system patients.
“Liver-related conditions are the third leading cause of nonsurgical hospitalizations of chronic HCV patients after cardiovascular diseases and infections,” wrote Dr. E. H. Teshale, from the division of viral hepatitis at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, and coauthors.
However liver-related complications only accounted for 9.1% of all hospitalizations in this group, compared with 1.3% of hospitalizations in the control group.
The analysis also revealed a sixfold greater risk of hospitalization for infection, a sevenfold greater risk for dermatologic and hematologic problems, a 10-fold greater risk of hospitalization for substance abuse, and a nearly threefold greater risk of being hospitalized for cardiovascular disease, compared with other health system patients.
Hospitalizations were significantly lower among patients receiving treatment for hepatitis C and who had achieved a sustained virologic response, the authors noted.
“Initiation of treatment prior to progression to advanced liver disease can reduce the cost of hospitalization, which in many cases may include repeated hospitalizations and other costly interventions,” the investigators reported. “Some studies have found a significant health care cost alleviation following HCV therapy, which [was] primarily due to costs associated with hospitalizations for non-HCV–related comorbidities.”
The Chronic Hepatitis Cohort Study was funded by the CDC Foundation, which receives grants from a range of pharmaceutical companies. No other conflicts of interest were declared.