A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. -Winston Churchill
The aforementioned quote leads a recent editorial (Lutchman G, Kim WR, Hepatology 2015; 1455-8) which discusses the challenges of widespread Hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening and avoiding late diagnosis/missed opportunity for timely treatment. The associated article (Moorman AC et al. Hepatology 2015; 1479-84) reviewed a large cohort of 14,717 patients with HCV and noted that 17% (n=1056) had a ‘late diagnosis’ which resulted in high rates of hospitalization and mortality. Late diagnosis was defined as having cirrhosis at time of diagnosis or hepatic decompensation within 12 months of initial diagnosis.
The editorialists note that the related article presents data from 2006-11 which models ‘real-life’ practice settings. Late diagnosis was more common in African-Americans and in patients with Medicare insurance.
With regard to widespread screening, pessimists argue that “we do not have coherent strategies and resources” to implement.
- there are too few health care providers who are qualified and interested
- the ‘treat-all” strategy is too expensive. “For example, in the first 3 months after the release of sofosbuvir, a large commercial health insurance carrier announced that it had spent over $100 million on hepatitis C prescriptions…cause[d] a substantial drop in its stock price”
- “while prioritizing treatment to patients who are at risk of future problems seems the optimal solution to deliver the most benefits at the lowest costs, the problems lies in the identification of those patients.”
Optimists see the opportunity for early intervention and improved outcomes.
Bottomline: While more effective treatment is available, there are still many questions, especially who should receive treatment and how to identify those most in need. If/when costs of therapy are reduced, some of the difficult questions will resolve.
Related blog posts:
Briefly noted:
- “Adding Pegylated Interferon to Entecavir for Hepatitis e Antigen-Positive Chronic Hepatitis B: A Multicenter Randomized Trial (ARES Study)” Brouwer WP et al. Hepatology 2015; 1512-22). “Peg-IFN add-on therapy may facilitate the discontinuation of nucleus(t)ice analogs.”
- “The Impact of Phlebotomy in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A prospective, randomized, controlled trial.” Adams LA et al. Hepatology 2015; 1555-64). “Reduction in ferritin by phlebotomy does not improve liver enzymes, hepatic fat, or IR in subjects with NAFLD”
- “Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis is the Second Leading Etiology of Liver Disease Among Adults Awaiting Liver Transplantation in the United States.” Wong RJ et al. Gastroenterol 2015; 148: 547-55.
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