Published in:
01-09-2020 | Antiviral Agents | Original article
Late presenters among minority patients with chronic hepatitis C infection in the USA
Published in: International Journal of Public Health | Issue 7/2020
Login to get accessAbstract
Objectives
Minority patients are under-screened for chronic hepatitis C (CHC) in the USA, and limited data exist for minority patients with advanced fibrosis.
Methods
In this cross-sectional study, CHC patients who were prescribed direct-acting antiviral agents were divided into White patients and minority patient groups. Primary measurements were the mean fibrosis scores and percentages of patients with stage III–IV fibrosis (late presenters) for the two groups.
Results
Among the 1421 patients with self-reported ethnicity, 697 were White patients, and 724 were minority patients (484 Hispanic, 175 Black, 65 Asians). Compared to the White, minority patients had significantly higher mean fibrosis score (p < 0.001) and a higher percentage of late presenters (p < 0.001). In subgroup analyses, the mean fibrosis scores for Hispanic, Black and Asian patients were 2.58 ± 1.38, 2.28 ± 1.41 and 2.28 ± 1.40, respectively.
Conclusions
Minority populations with CHC in the USA experience disparities in access to treatment in the early stages of liver fibrosis. Public health strategies are necessitated to address the inequality, as late presenters are at risk of hepatocellular carcinoma.