Long-term health outcome among HCV patients with advanced liver fibrosis treated through HCV elimination program in Georgia

Abstract

About 71 million people worldwide live with chronic hepatitis C, and most of them are at risk of developing cirrhosis and liver cancer. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that in 2016, approximately 399,000 people died of hepatitis C, mostly from cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (primary liver cancer). [1] Most of the infected live in middle- and low-income countries. [2] According to WHO, the regions most affected by hepatitis C are the Eastern Mediterranean region and the European region of WHO. [1] Chronic hepatitis C is a leading cause of progressive liver disease and related death. Hepatitis C is also a cause of liver cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma, especially in people with the chronic form of the disease. Hepatocellular carcinoma cases in Europe and the United States are set to peak in 2020, with a rate of 78,000 new cases in Europe and 27,000 in the United States.

A 2015 population survey conducted by the Georgian National Center for Disease Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that the country has a high prevalence of 7.7% and 5.4% of the population is actively infected with hepatitis C. [3] Based on the available research and the global burden of the disease, the Government of Georgia has established a program for the elimination of hepatitis C. It aimed to reduce the prevalence of hepatitis C by 0.5% by 2020 by using prevention and treatment strategies.

Given all this, it can be said that hepatitis C is not only a medical but also a significant socio-economic problem. Especially for a country with such low economic opportunities as Georgia.