An Investigation of the Side Effects, Patient Feedback, and Physiological Changes Associated with Direct-Acting Antiviral Therapy for Hepatitis C

Pin-Sheng Wu, Te-Sheng Chang, Sheng-Nan Lu, Hsiang-Jou Su, Shu-Zhi Chang, Chia-Wen Hsu and Mei-Yen Chen
Additional contact information
Pin-Sheng Wu: Formosa Plastics Group Health Care, Yunlin 638, Taiwan
Te-Sheng Chang: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi 613, Taiwan
Sheng-Nan Lu: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi 613, Taiwan
Hsiang-Jou Su: Department of Nursing, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Chiayi 613, Taiwan
Shu-Zhi Chang: Formosa Plastics Group Health Care, Yunlin 638, Taiwan
Chia-Wen Hsu: Formosa Plastics Group, Safety Health & Environment Center, Taipei 508, Taiwan
Mei-Yen Chen: College of Nursing, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Chiayi 613, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 24, 1-8

Abstract: Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is one of the major causes of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma globally. The advent of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) with high cure rates provides an opportunity to reduce the rising HCV disease burden. However, few studies have explored the side effects and physiological benefits of DAA therapy in rural areas. The aim of this study was to investigate the subjective reports of discomfort, patient feedback about the course of treatment, and physiological changes after DAA treatment in HCV patients. Methods: A descriptive, prospective, comparative cohort study was conducted from January to August 2019 in western coastal Yunlin County, Taiwan. Data regarding demographic characteristics, subjective discomfort levels, and physiological responses were collected through face to face interviews and from medical records by a cooperating hospital. Results: Six-hundred-and-twenty-three participants with an active HCV infection were identified; 555 (89.1%) had completed treatment, and sustained virologic response was achieved in 99.6% (n = 553). The mean age was 64.9 (standard deviation = 13.1) years, and 35% of patients experienced discomfort during DAA treatment, including fatigue, itching, and dizziness. After three months of treatment, physiological markers, including body weight ( p < 0.001), waist circumference ( p < 0.05), blood pressure ( p < 0.001), alanine aminotransferase ( p < 0.001), and aspartate aminotransferase ( p < 0.001), had significantly improved. Almost all participants provided positive feedback about the treatment experience and reported manageable side effects. Conclusions: The findings showed that, in an endemic rural area, DAA treatment had a high cure rate and improved physiological markers with few discomforts. These results can be used to reduce the barriers HCV patients face in adopting new medications.

Keywords: Hepatitis C virus; direct-acting antivirals (DAAs); sustained virologic response (SVR); rural (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/24/4981/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/24/4981/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:24:p:4981-:d:295329

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().