Epidemiological and Clinical Characteristics of Hepatitis C Virus Infection in South Korea from 2007 to 2017: A Prospective Multicenter Cohort Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background/aims

This study aimed to elucidate the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients in South Korea from 2007 to 2017 and to compare the treatment patterns between two periods before and after the first approval of direct-acting antivirals (DAA) in South Korea in 2015.

Methods

This prospective, multicenter cohort enrolled 2,758 patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) viremia at seven tertiary centers, and clinical data were prospectively collected with questionnaire surveys focused on lifetime risk factors related to HCV infection.

Results

The HCV patients had a mean age of 57.3 years (50.8% male). Among them, 14.3% showed a positive history of transfusion before HCV screening and 5.6% reported intravenous drug use (IVDU),

SUBMITTER: Nam JY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7096238 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature