The success of treatment of chronic hepatitis C in opiate addicts in Clinical center of Vojvodina

Chronic hepatitis C is a disease with a high prevalence in the population of intravenous drug users. Serious clinical course of the disease, which can lead to cirrhosis of the liver with all its complications, has a large epidemiological and clinical significance. This study was aimed at assessing the success of antiviral treatment of chronic hepatitis C in intravenous drug users and defining indicators of successful treatment in this population.MATERIALS AND METHODSThis retrospective study included 316 patients treated with standard therapy for chronic hepatitis C, pegylated interferon and ribavirin, at the Department of Infectious Diseases, Clinical Center of Vojvodina in Novi Sad in the period from January 2007 to December 2012. The patients were divided into a group of intravenous drug users (n = 163) and a group of other modes of transmission of hepatitis C virus (n = 153). The indicators of successful treatment were measured in both groups.RESULTSA total 51.57% of the subjects belonged to the group of intravenous drug users. The therapy was successful in 87.15% of cases, while the success was achieved in only 53.47% of cases in the group of patients infected otherwise. The positive effect of therapy was associated with younger age, shorter duration of infection, low levels of fibrosis and a higher percentage of infected with hepatitis C virus genotypes 2 and 3.CONCLUSIONThe population of intravenous drug users can be effectively treated with the standard therapy for chronic hepatitis C, even more successfully than the population infected in some other way.