Late presentation for HCV care: Time to target people with diabetes and/or hazardous alcohol use (ANRS CO22 HEPATHER cohort)

Background and Aims Late presentation for care of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection – defined as having severe liver fibrosis when first consulting a specialist for HCV care – increases morbidity and mortality. Identifying the socio‐behavioural correlates of late presentation is essential to improve HCV strategies to optimize HCV cascade of care. We investigated clinical and socio‐behavioural correlates of late presentation for care in HCV mono‐infected individuals. Methods This study included chronic HCV mono‐infected patients participating in the French national cohort ANRS CO22 HEPATHER, starting in 2012. The correlates of late presentation were estimated using a Heckman probit selection model, which takes into account the possible selection bias because of missing data in the outcome. Results Among the 9174 study patients, 1236 had available data on liver fibrosis stage at first presentation for HCV care. Of these, 591 (47.8%) were late presenters. In a multivariable analysis adjusted for age, sex and HCV genotype, having diabetes (adjusted coefficient [95% confidence interval]: 0.55 [0.30; 0.80]), current hazardous alcohol use (0.36 [0.03; 0.69]) and current abstinence but past hazardous alcohol use (0.42 [0.19; 0.64]) (vs. current abstinence and no past hazardous use) were all independently associated with late presentation for HCV care. Conclusions As late presentation severely affects HCV cascade of care, our findings bring important new evidence about the need to promptly identify and target people with diabetes and/or past or current hazardous alcohol use for HCV screening and treatment within the wider context of the WHO goal to eliminate HCV by 2030.