Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34641896›Full record

Observational studyHarm reduction journal2021

Hepatitis C reinfection in former and active injecting drug users in Belgium.

Dana Busschots, Rob Bielen, Özgür M Koc, Leen Heyens, Rita Verrando, Chantal de Galocsy, Christophe Van Steenkiste, Frederik Nevens, Håvard Midgard, Olav Dalgard and 1 more

Registry-linked trialAbstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in Harm reduction journal, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04251572 (Hepatitis C Reinfection After Successful Directly Acting Antiviral Treatment), which is not on this map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT04251572 naunknown statusnot on this map

Hepatitis C Reinfection After Successful Directly Acting Antiviral Treatment: A Belgian Interventional Multicenter Study

TypeinterventionalSponsorHasselt UniversityRan2019 to 2022Enrolled100ConditionsHepatitis C Virus Infection, Response to Therapy of, Drug UseArmsBlood sampling, questionaires
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Observational
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Dana BusschotsFaculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Hasselt University, Martelarenlaan 42, Diepenbeek, 3500, Hasselt, Belgium. dana.busschots@uhasselt.be.ORCID 0000-0003-0887-4119
Rob BielenFaculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Hasselt University, Martelarenlaan 42, Diepenbeek, 3500, Hasselt, Belgium.
Özgür M KocFaculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Hasselt University, Martelarenlaan 42, Diepenbeek, 3500, Hasselt, Belgium.
Leen HeyensFaculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Hasselt University, Martelarenlaan 42, Diepenbeek, 3500, Hasselt, Belgium.
Rita VerrandozorGGroep Zin, Hasselt, Belgium.
Chantal de GalocsyPrivate practice, 1190, Brussels, Belgium.
Christophe Van SteenkisteDepartment of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, AZ Middelares, Gent, Belgium.
Frederik NevensDepartment of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospitals KU, Leuven, Belgium.
Håvard MidgardDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway.
Olav DalgardDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway.
Geert RobaeysFaculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Hasselt University, Martelarenlaan 42, Diepenbeek, 3500, Hasselt, Belgium.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThere is currently no systematic screening for hepatitis C (HCV) reinfection in people who inject drugs (PWID) after treatment in Belgium. However, in a recent meta-analysis, the overall HCV reinfection rate was 5.9/100 person-years (PY) among PWID. Accordingly, this study was undertaken to investigate the reinfection rate in former and active PWID who achieved the end of treatment response after direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment in Belgium.

methodsThis observational cross-sectional study recruited individuals with a history of injecting drug use who had achieved the end of treatment response to any DAA treatment between 2015 and 2020. Participants were offered a post-treatment HCV RNA test.

resultsEighty-five potential participants were eligible to participate and contacted, of whom 60 participants were enrolled in the study with a median age of 51.0 (IQR 44.3-56.0) years; it was reported that 23.3% continued to inject drugs intravenously after DAA treatment. Liver cirrhosis was present in 12.9%. The majority had genotype 1a (51.7%) or genotype 3 (15.0%) infection. We detected no reinfections in this study population. The total time patients were followed up for reinfection in the study was 78.5 PY (median 1.0 years IQR 0.4-2.0).

conclusionReinfection after successful treatment with DAA initially appears to be very low in Belgian PWID. Therefore, efforts should be made to screen individuals with persistent risk behaviors for reinfection systematically. In addition, a national HCV registry should be established to accurately define the burden of HCV infection and reinfection in Belgium and support the elimination of viral hepatitis C in Europe. Trial registration clinicaltrials.gov NCT04251572, Registered 5 Feb 2020-Retrospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04251572 .

Indexed as

Drug UsersHepatitis CHepatitis C, ChronicSubstance Abuse, IntravenousAdultAntiviral AgentsBelgiumHumansMiddle AgedRecurrenceReinfectionAntiviral AgentsDirect-acting antiviralsHepatitis C virusPeople who inject drugsReinfection

Identifiers

PMID34641896
PMCPMC8507240

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.