Treatment Outcomes of Hepatitis C-Infected Patients in Specialty Clinic vs. Primary Care Physician Clinic: A Comparative Analysis
Background. Oral direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) provide an exceptional opportunity to treat hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Goals. We compared the treatment outcomes between specialty and primary care physician (PCP) clinics for patients treated with DAAs. Methods. We performed a retrospective a...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2019-01-01
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| Series: | Gastroenterology Research and Practice |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/8434602 |
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| Summary: | Background. Oral direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) provide an exceptional opportunity to treat hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Goals. We compared the treatment outcomes between specialty and primary care physician (PCP) clinics for patients treated with DAAs. Methods. We performed a retrospective analysis of patients treated for HCV in our PCP clinics and specialty; liver and gastroenterology clinics and gastroenterology clinics. We used the two-sided t-test and the chi-square test to compare the means of continuous and categorical variables, respectively. Results. Data from a total of 377 patients was analyzed (PCP clinic: n=185 and specialty clinic: n=192). There was no significant difference between age, race, and gender. Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) and Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) scores were comparable at baseline. Greater than 90% of the patients achieved sustained virological response (SVR) with no difference between the groups. Conclusions. Uncomplicated patients can be treated for hepatitis C by their PCPs with DAAs with similar treatment outcomes to specialty clinics. There should be explicit guidelines on patient eligibility for treatment by PCPs vs. specialists. |
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| ISSN: | 1687-6121 1687-630X |