Elimination of hepatitis C virus infection in patients with haemophilia in Belgium: A single‐centre experience

Introduction Patients with haemophilia are one of the subgroups with a high prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. They are a potential target group to eliminate HCV infection thanks to the availability of direct‐acting antiviral (DAA) therapy. Aim To investigate the results of DAA therapy in a cohort of patients with bleeding disorders. Methods This retrospective study was conducted between July 2018 and April 2019. All patients born before 1990 with haemophilia, von Willebrand factor Disease, factor V deficiency, factor VII deficiency or afibrinogenemia were included in this study. Results Of 299 patients, 297 (99.3%) were tested for HCV antibody presence and 211 (71.0%) were positive. Of these, 205 (97.1%) were tested for HCV RNA and 153 (72.1%) were chronically infected. In total, 127 (83.0%) received antiviral therapy, and 110 (71.8%) patients were cured by antiviral treatment. The presence of cirrhosis was significantly higher in patients without a cure for HCV infection when compared to patients who achieved sustained virologic response by treatment or never infected (32.6% vs. 12.8% vs. 0%; P