How to better improve the treatment and outcomes of HCV in psychiatric patients: review of a Belgian monocentric psychiatric center

Abstract

Introduction: Hepatitis C (HCV) is one of the major worldwide infections with 58 million infected persons in the world. HCV can lead to chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and cancer. These past few years, clinical progress allowed a curative rate of 95% of the patients. There are still populations in which, treating the disease is more difficult, especially psychiatric patients, when substance abuse, psychiatric disorders are important risks factors for getting HCV. With the WHO organization establishing goals for clinical management and treatment of HCV, it is important to target where the difficulties lie in getting a better treatment program for those populations. Aim: Try to highlight the challenges of treating a certain group of patients compare to the general population. Method: This is a cross sectional monocentric study. 79 patients from a mental facility were included between 2012 and 2022. Inclusion criteria were: >18 years old, an active viral HCV infection. Results: 34.7% of patients with a positive PCR were treated with a significant difference between the closed psychiatric unit and the open one (66.5 vs 22.6%, p<.05). There was an 82.4% eradication rate (Sustained Viral Response at 3 months). There were significantly more schizophrenic disorders in the closed unit and significantly more alcohol abuse in the open one. Conclusion: Treatment of HCV in a psychiatric population is feasible with eradication rate equivalent at those in the general population. Patients with more severe mental illness are better treated in the configuration of a closed psychiatric unit.