TY - JOUR
T1 - Chronic hepatitis C virus infection in India
T2 - Regional demographics and distribution of viral genotypes
AU - Shah, Samir R.
AU - Rao, P. N.
AU - Sarin, Shiv K.
AU - Chowdhury, Abhijit
AU - Bhatia, Shobna
AU - Dharamsi, Rajesh
AU - Goswami, B. D.
AU - Kapoor, Dharmesh
AU - Luaia, Rosang
AU - Mehta, Rajiv
AU - Mukewar, Shrikant
AU - Prasad, V. G.Mohan
AU - Rai, Ramesh Roop
AU - Saigal, Sanjiv
AU - Singh, Devendra
AU - Trehanpati, Nirupama
AU - Chen, Sandra
AU - Gaggar, Anuj
AU - Knox, Steven J.
AU - Subramanian, G. Mani
AU - Singh, Shivaram Prasad
AU - Sood, Ajit
AU - Varghese, Joy
AU - Venugopal, Raj Vigna
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was sponsored by the Gilead Sciences, Inc.
PY - 2016/11/1
Y1 - 2016/11/1
N2 - Background and Aims: Although chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection affects millions of people in India, few studies have assessed host, viral, and disease characteristics of chronically infected patients at national and regional levels. Such information is critical to support large scale screening and treatment initiatives for chronic HCV infection in India. Methods: Patients with known chronic HCV infection making routine or for-cause visits to the participating study centers were enrolled in this observational study. Patients attended a single outpatient visit during which demographics and medical history were collected, a physical examination was performed, and blood and urine samples were collected for laboratory assessments. Samples were analyzed to determine HCV genotypes and subtypes, and genotypes of interferon lambda 3 (IFNL3) single nucleotide polymorphism. No therapeutic interventions were administered. Results: We enrolled 500 patients at 19 centers, categorized into four geographic regions (North, South, East, and West). All patients self-identified as Indian, and most (66 %) were male. Genotype 3 was the most common genotype overall (54 %); however, its prevalence varied greatly by region, ranging from 34 % in the South to 69 % in the East. Genotypes 1 (24 %) and 4 (6 %) were the next most common, and HCV genotype could not be determined for 16 % of patients. Conclusions: This prospective survey suggests that demographics, viral, and host factors in patients with chronic HCV infection are highly variable in India and pose significant challenges for the implementation of broad-scale screening and treatment initiatives.
AB - Background and Aims: Although chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection affects millions of people in India, few studies have assessed host, viral, and disease characteristics of chronically infected patients at national and regional levels. Such information is critical to support large scale screening and treatment initiatives for chronic HCV infection in India. Methods: Patients with known chronic HCV infection making routine or for-cause visits to the participating study centers were enrolled in this observational study. Patients attended a single outpatient visit during which demographics and medical history were collected, a physical examination was performed, and blood and urine samples were collected for laboratory assessments. Samples were analyzed to determine HCV genotypes and subtypes, and genotypes of interferon lambda 3 (IFNL3) single nucleotide polymorphism. No therapeutic interventions were administered. Results: We enrolled 500 patients at 19 centers, categorized into four geographic regions (North, South, East, and West). All patients self-identified as Indian, and most (66 %) were male. Genotype 3 was the most common genotype overall (54 %); however, its prevalence varied greatly by region, ranging from 34 % in the South to 69 % in the East. Genotypes 1 (24 %) and 4 (6 %) were the next most common, and HCV genotype could not be determined for 16 % of patients. Conclusions: This prospective survey suggests that demographics, viral, and host factors in patients with chronic HCV infection are highly variable in India and pose significant challenges for the implementation of broad-scale screening and treatment initiatives.
KW - Chronic HCV
KW - Hepatitis C prevalence in India
KW - IL28B
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84995520516&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84995520516&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s12664-016-0709-1
DO - 10.1007/s12664-016-0709-1
M3 - Article
C2 - 27844277
AN - SCOPUS:84995520516
VL - 35
SP - 469
EP - 477
JO - Indian Journal of Gastroenterology
JF - Indian Journal of Gastroenterology
SN - 0254-8860
IS - 6
ER -