Characteristic | Proportion of patients* | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Spontaneous HCV clearance n = 100 | HCV treatment before or at enrolment n = 184 | No follow-up after enrolment n = 154 | No HCV treatment during follow-up n = 518 | HCV treatment during follow-up n = 163 | |
Age, yr, median | 45 | 46 | 45 | 44 | 44 |
Female | 0.41 | 0.22 | 0.24 | 0.28 | 0.17 |
Aboriginal | 0.23 | 0.12 | 0.17 | 0.17 | 0.07 |
HCV genotype 1 | 0.14 | 0.61 | 0.57 | 0.62 | 0.62 |
HCV genotype 2, 3 | 0.09 | 0.28 | 0.21 | 0.15 | 0.25 |
HCV genotype unknown | 0.77 | 0.08 | 0.21 | 0.21 | 0.10 |
Chronic hepatitis B virus† infection | 0.06 | 0.05 | 0.09 | 0.07 | 0.03 |
Not taking antiretroviral therapy | 0.19 | 0.10 | 0.21 | 0.22 | 0.20 |
CD4 cell count, cells/uL, median | 370 | 420 | 400 | 360 | 400 |
Duration of HCV infection, yr , median | 19 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 16 |
APRI‡ | 0.33 | 0.68 | 0.67 | 0.61 | 0.94 |
End-stage liver disease§ | 0.04 | 0.20 | 0.08 | 0.08 | 0.09 |
Ever used crack or cocaine | 0.72 | 0.60 | 0.82 | 0.75 | 0.57 |
Psychiatric diagnosis¶ | 0.58 | 0.49 | 0.54 | 0.48 | 0.49 |
Currently homeless | 0.15 | 0.04 | 0.19 | 0.14 | 0.11 |
Current alcohol use | 0.45 | 0.47 | 0.59 | 0.51 | 0.51 |
Note: HCV = hepatitis C virus, APRI = aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index. *Unless otherwise stated †Chronic hepatitis B virus infection was determined by the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen in serum. ‡APRI is a surrogate marker for liver fibrosis: an APRI score ≥ 1.5 indicates substantial liver fibrosis; a score ≥ 2 indicates cirrhosis. §Diagnosis of ascites, portal hypertension, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, encephalopathy, esophageal varices or hepatocellular carcinoma; data were collected by use of dedicated case-report forms and were centrally validated. ¶Diagnosis in medical records of depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or personality disorder; or a patient report of past psychiatric hospital admission.