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Chronic infection with the hepatitis C virus may lead to the development of cirrhosis and its complications.
Little data are available on progression to the decompensated stage in a hetereogeneous population.
Dr Scott McDonald and colleagues from Scotland characterized the burden of hepatitis C virus-related decompensated cirrhosis on the national health care system in Scotland in terms of hospital admissions and length of stay.
The research team estimated the associations between epidemiological variables and time to the first hospital admission/death with mention of decompensated cirrhosis.
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| New cases increased with an average annual change of 11% |
| European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology |
The team carried out a record-linkage study of 20,969 individuals diagnosed with hepatitis C through laboratory testing between 1991 and 2006.
The team linked records to the Scottish Morbidity Records hospital discharge database and to national HIV databases.
The researchers found that 995 individuals were admitted to hospital and 63 individuals died with first-time mention of decompensated cirrhosis during follow-up.
The number of new cases increased over the period 1996-2005, with an average annual change of 11%.
The relative risk of developing decompensated cirrhosis was greater for men, for those coinfected with HIV.
For those with a prior alcohol-related admission, fitted as a time-dependent covariate and for those aged 30 years or older.
Dr McDonald's team concluded, “The burden from hepatitis C virus-infected individuals developing cirrhotic complications is increasing because of the advancing age of this population.”
“On account of the synergistic effect of hepatitis C virus and excessive alcohol consumption on the development of liver disease, it is essential that policy-makers address alcohol intake when allocating resources for the management of hepatitis C virus infection.”
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