Said A Al-Busafi1, Halima Al-Shuaili2, Heba Omar3, Haifa Al-Zuhaibi1, L Jeyaseelan4,5, Khalid Al-Naamani3. 1. Department of Medicine, College of Medicine & Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman. 2. Internal Medicine Residency Programme, Oman Medical Specialty Board, Muscat, Oman. 3. Department of Medicine, Armed Forces Hospital, Muscat, Oman. 4. Department of Statistics & Health Information, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman. 5. Department of Biostatics, Christian Medical College & Hospital, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is a leading cause of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) worldwide. However, there is a lack of data regarding the epidemiology of CHC in Oman. This study aimed to describe the clinicopathological characteristics and outcomes of CHC-infected patients at a tertiary care hospital in Oman. METHODS: This retrospective descriptive hospital-based study included all CHC-infected patients who presented to the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) in Muscat, Oman, between January 2010 and December 2015. The baseline demographic, clinical, laboratory and radiological data of the patients were analysed. RESULTS: A total of 603 CHC-infected patients were identified during the study period; of these, 65.8% were male and the mean age was 44.8 ± 16.5 years. The main risk factors associated with CHC infection were intravenous drug abuse (23.9%) and a history of blood transfusions (20.7%). The most prevalent virus genotypes were 1 and 3 (44.0% and 35.1%, respectively). Upon initial presentation, 33.0% of the cohort had liver cirrhosis; of these, 48.7% had decompensated cirrhosis and 23.1% had HCCs. Liver transplantation was only performed for 7.5% of the cirrhosis patients, mostly as a curative treatment for HCC. CONCLUSION: The implementation of national policies to prevent hepatitis C transmission and encourage the early screening of at-risk patients is recommended to reduce the burden and consequences of this disease in Oman.
OBJECTIVES: Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is a leading cause of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) worldwide. However, there is a lack of data regarding the epidemiology of CHC in Oman. This study aimed to describe the clinicopathological characteristics and outcomes of CHC-infected patients at a tertiary care hospital in Oman. METHODS: This retrospective descriptive hospital-based study included all CHC-infected patients who presented to the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) in Muscat, Oman, between January 2010 and December 2015. The baseline demographic, clinical, laboratory and radiological data of the patients were analysed. RESULTS: A total of 603 CHC-infected patients were identified during the study period; of these, 65.8% were male and the mean age was 44.8 ± 16.5 years. The main risk factors associated with CHC infection were intravenous drug abuse (23.9%) and a history of blood transfusions (20.7%). The most prevalent virus genotypes were 1 and 3 (44.0% and 35.1%, respectively). Upon initial presentation, 33.0% of the cohort had liver cirrhosis; of these, 48.7% had decompensated cirrhosis and 23.1% had HCCs. Liver transplantation was only performed for 7.5% of the cirrhosis patients, mostly as a curative treatment for HCC. CONCLUSION: The implementation of national policies to prevent hepatitis C transmission and encourage the early screening of at-risk patients is recommended to reduce the burden and consequences of this disease in Oman.
Authors: Giovan Giuseppe Di Costanzo; Massimo De Luca; Giovanni Tritto; Filippo Lampasi; Luigi Addario; Alfonso Galeota Lanza; Maria Teresa Tartaglione; Francesco Paolo Picciotto; Antonio Ascione Journal: Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol Date: 2008-07 Impact factor: 2.566