Genotypes of Hepatitis C Virus and Efficacy of Direct-Acting Antiviral Drugs among Chronic Hepatitis C Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Nahed Mohammed Hawsawi; Tamer Saber; Hussein M Salama; Walaa S Fouad; Howaida M Hagag; Hayaa M Alhuthali; Emad M Eed; Taisir Saber; Khadiga A Ismail; Hesham H Al Qurashi; Samir Altowairqi; Mohmmad Samaha; Dalia El-Hossary

doi:10.3390/tropicalmed8020092

Genotypes of Hepatitis C Virus and Efficacy of Direct-Acting Antiviral Drugs among Chronic Hepatitis C Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Trop Med Infect Dis. 2023 Jan 30;8(2):92. doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed8020092.

Authors

Nahed Mohammed Hawsawi¹, Tamer Saber², Hussein M Salama², Walaa S Fouad³, Howaida M Hagag^{1

4}, Hayaa M Alhuthali¹, Emad M Eed^{1

5}, Taisir Saber^{1

6}, Khadiga A Ismail^{1

7}, Hesham H Al Qurashi⁸, Samir Altowairqi⁸, Mohmmad Samaha⁸, Dalia El-Hossary⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia.
² Departments of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44519, Egypt.
³ Departments of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44519, Egypt.
⁴ Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt.
⁵ Medical Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Shebinel Kom 32511, Egypt.
⁶ Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44519, Egypt.
⁷ Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11566, Egypt.
⁸ Gastroenterology and Hepatology Department, King Abdul-Aziz Specialized Hospital, Taif 26521, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) chronic infection is a major causative factor for several chronic liver diseases, including liver cirrhosis, liver cell failure, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The HCV has seven major genotypes. Genotype 4 is the most prevalent genotype in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, followed by genotype 1. The HCV genotype affects the response to different HCV treatments and the progression of liver disease. Currently, combinations of direct-acting antiviral drugs (DAAs) approved for the treatment of HCV achieve high cure rates with minimal adverse effects. Because real-world data from Saudi Arabia about the efficacy of DAAs are still limited, this study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of DAAs in treating patients with chronic hepatitis C and to identify the variables related to a sustained virologic response (SVR) in a real-world setting in Saudi Arabia. This prospective cohort study included 200 Saudi patients with chronic HCV who were 18 years of age or older and had been treated with DAAs at King Abdul-Aziz Specialized Hospital in Taif, Saudi Arabia, between September 2018 and March 2021. The response to treatment was assessed by whether or not an SVR had been achieved at week 12 post treatment (SVR12). An SVR12 was reached in 97.5% of patients. SVR12 rates were comparable for patients of different ages, between men and women, and between patients with and without cirrhosis. In addition, the SVR12 rates did not differ according to the infecting HCV genotype. In this study, the presence of cirrhosis and the patient's gender were independent predictors of who would not reach an SVR12 (known here as the non-SVR12 group) according to the results of univariate and multivariate binary logistic regression analyses based on the determinants of SVR12. In this population of patients with chronic HCV infection, all DAA regimens achieved very high SVR12 rates. The patients' gender and the presence of cirrhosis were independent factors of a poor response.

Keywords: DAAs; HCV; HCV genotype; cirrhosis; sustained viral response.

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.