WASHINGTON, DC — Evidence of steatosis is found in almost half the patients with hepatitis C who achieved a sustained virologic response after treatment with direct-acting antivirals, results from a prospective study show.
“Fatty liver is very common now that hepatitis C is being treated effectively,” said Mazen Noureddin, MD, from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
American and European guidelines state that a patient can be discharged from care in the absence of cirrhosis and elevated liver enzymes, but “we wanted to see what happens after direct-acting antiviral treatment,” he said.
Steatosis was “very prevalent” in the study population, “although liver enzymes were normal,” Dr Noureddin reported here at The Liver Meeting 2017.
Monitoring people for steatosis after a sustained virologic response is not common practice, he told Medscape Medical News, but these findings suggest that long-term monitoring is warranted.
Long-term Monitoring Needed
In their study, Dr Noureddin and his colleagues compared transient elastography findings (FibroScan, Echosens) in 101 patients — 49 men and 52 women — before and after they were treated with direct-acting antivirals. After each participant achieved a sustained virologic response, the researchers used the controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) to assess liver fat.
Mean age of the participants was 60 years and mean body mass index (BMI) was 28 kg/m². In addition, 36% of the patients were white, 25% were Hispanic, and 90% had diabetes. The hepatitis C infection was genotype 1 in 86% of the patients, genotype 2 in 13%, and genotype 4 in 1%. People with genotype 3 infection were excluded from the analysis because the etiology of hepatic steatosis is different in this population.
Decreases were significant in alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) levels and fibrosis scores from baseline to the achievement of sustained virologic response (P < .05).
In the study cohort, 48% of the patients showed evidence of steatosis after treatment, 6% of whom had advanced fibrosis. None of the 52% of patients without steatosis showed evidence of advanced fibrosis, defined as a score of at least 11 kPa.
For patients with steatosis, weight did not change during the study period. However, there were significant differences between these patients and those without steatosis.
Table. Mean Values After Patients Achieved a Sustained Virologic Response
| Parameter | Patients With Steatosis | Patients Without Steatosis | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| BMI | 29 m/kg² | 26 m/kg² | <.05 |
| Glucose level | 108 mg/dL | 96 mg/dL | <.05 |
| ALT level | 20 mg/dL | 15 mg/dL | <.05 |
| CAP score | 297 dB/m | 214 dB/m | <.05 |
| Fibrosis score | 7.0 kPa | 5.3 kPa | <.05 |
“We need more follow-up,” said Dr Noureddin. “We looked at patients 8 weeks after treatment. Next, we want to follow patients longitudinally to see if more patients with a fatty liver also develop fibrosis.”
The study showed that even after achieving a cure for hepatitis C, approximately 50% of those patients demonstrated evidence of NAFLD.
“This is one of the most important studies presented at this meeting,” said Naim Alkhouri, MD, from the Texas Liver Institute in San Antonio.
“The treatment of chronic hepatitis C infection has been revolutionized by the introduction of highly effective direct-acting antivirals, with cure rates of 95% or higher,” he told Medscape Medical News. “However, the study showed that even after achieving a cure for hepatitis C, approximately 50% of those patients demonstrated evidence of NAFLD, which may increase their risk for liver cirrhosis and liver cancer.”
“The use of FibroScan with CAP to assess for the presence of NAFLD and fibrosis progression should be considered in patients who are cured from hepatitis C infection,” Dr Alkhouri said.
Dr Noureddin is a speaker and advisor for EchoSense. Dr Alkhouri has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
The Liver Meeting 2017: American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD): Abstract 2155. Presented October 23, 2017.
Follow Medscape Gastroenterology on Twitter @MedscapeGastro and Damian McNamara @MedReporter
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