Barbara J Turner1, Chen-Pin Wang2, Trisha V Melhado3, Raudel Bobadilla3, Mamta K Jain4, Amit G Singal4. 1. Department of Medicine, Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas; Center for Research to Advance Community Health (ReACH), University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas. Electronic address: turner@uthscsa.edu. 2. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas. 3. Center for Research to Advance Community Health (ReACH), University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas. 4. Department of Internal Medicine, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas.
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Advanced liver disease, which includes fibrosis and cirrhosis, has been reported to be more prevalent in Hispanics patients at the time of diagnosis of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection than non-Hispanic black or non-Hispanic white patients. We performed a propensity score-matched analysis to determine whether metabolic risk factors contribute to this disparity. METHODS: We collected data from persons with 748 HCV infection (22% Hispanic, 53% non-Hispanic black, and 26% non-Hispanic white; 23% with advanced liver disease), born from 1945 through 1965, diagnosed at 6 health care systems in Texas. Advanced liver disease was defined as a FIB-4 index score above 3.25. We examined the association between advanced liver disease and race or ethnicity, metabolic risk (based on diabetes mellitus and body mass index [BMI]) and heavy alcohol use in propensity score-matched analyses. RESULTS: In propensity-score matched models, among those who were obese (BMI ≥30) with a diagnosis of diabetes, the adjusted odds ratio of advanced liver disease for Hispanics vs non-Hispanic black was 7.89 (95% CI, 3.66-17.01) and adjusted odds ratio = 12.49 (95% CI, 3.24-48.18) for Hispanic vs non-Hispanic white patients (both P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: HCV-infected Hispanics with obesity and diabetes have a far higher risk for advanced liver disease than other racial or ethnic groups. These findings highlight the need for HCV treatment and management of probable concurrent fatty liver disease. Even after we accounted for metabolic risk factors, Hispanics were still at higher risk for advanced liver disease, indicating the potential involvement of other factors such as genetic variants.
BACKGROUND & AIMS:Advanced liver disease, which includes fibrosis and cirrhosis, has been reported to be more prevalent in Hispanics patients at the time of diagnosis of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection than non-Hispanic black or non-Hispanic white patients. We performed a propensity score-matched analysis to determine whether metabolic risk factors contribute to this disparity. METHODS: We collected data from persons with 748 HCV infection (22% Hispanic, 53% non-Hispanic black, and 26% non-Hispanic white; 23% with advanced liver disease), born from 1945 through 1965, diagnosed at 6 health care systems in Texas. Advanced liver disease was defined as a FIB-4 index score above 3.25. We examined the association between advanced liver disease and race or ethnicity, metabolic risk (based on diabetes mellitus and body mass index [BMI]) and heavy alcohol use in propensity score-matched analyses. RESULTS: In propensity-score matched models, among those who were obese (BMI ≥30) with a diagnosis of diabetes, the adjusted odds ratio of advanced liver disease for Hispanics vs non-Hispanic black was 7.89 (95% CI, 3.66-17.01) and adjusted odds ratio = 12.49 (95% CI, 3.24-48.18) for Hispanic vs non-Hispanic white patients (both P < .001). CONCLUSIONS:HCV-infected Hispanics with obesity and diabetes have a far higher risk for advanced liver disease than other racial or ethnic groups. These findings highlight the need for HCV treatment and management of probable concurrent fatty liver disease. Even after we accounted for metabolic risk factors, Hispanics were still at higher risk for advanced liver disease, indicating the potential involvement of other factors such as genetic variants.
Authors: M Larissa Avilés-Santa; Laura Hsu; Tram Kim Lam; S Sonia Arteaga; Ligia Artiles; Sean Coady; Lawton S Cooper; Jennifer Curry; Patrice Desvigne-Nickens; Holly L Nicastro; Adelaida Rosario Journal: Front Public Health Date: 2020-08-28