NIH-funded study finds hepatitis C treatment gap for individuals with alcohol use disorder
A new study supported by the National Institutes of Health shows that individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) are less likely to receive antivirals for hepatitis C, despite current guidelines recommending antiviral treatment regardless of alcohol use.
Direct-acting antiviral treatment is highly effective at reducing serious illness and death among individuals with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, a condition that commonly occurs among people with AUD. Led by scientists at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, the research was conducted by a team of international scientists and published in JAMA Network Open.
Researchers used data from the Veterans Birth Cohort, an observational study containing electronic health records of all patients receiving care through the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) born between 1945 and 1965. This cohort was chosen for the study since people in this age range are more likely to have been diagnosed with HCV than other age groups. From this sample, data from 133,753 individuals (97% male) were identified and analyzed based on their history of HCV, documented Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C) questionnaire responses, and having visited any VHA location from January 2014 through May 2017.
Study participants were divided into three categories: current AUD, at-risk or lower-risk drinking, and abstinence with or without a history of AUD. The researchers found that in all years tested, individuals who met criteria for AUD—regardless of whether they were currently abstinent from alcohol use—were less likely to receive direct-acting antiviral treatment for HCV within either one or three years of HCV diagnosis, compared with individuals without AUD.
