The Socio-Economic Burden of Untreated Hepatitis C Virus Infected Patients in the Era of New Interferon-Free Therapy.

The advent of the new interferon-free direct acting antivirals represents a revolutionary stage in the management of hepatitis C virus (HCV) chronic infection. Treatment with direct acting antivirals is limited in several countries due to high costs. There is a strategy for prioritizing patients with advanced liver fibrosis in order to control HCV-related health expenditure. HCV infected patients have also a social burden due to the patient's knowledge of what the disease implies: chronicity and dependence on health-care institutions and natural progression to liver cirrhosis and death. In this study we aimed to highlight the perception of untreated patients with HCV on the healthcare system and professionals involved in care or therapy as well as the social impact on this particular category. We included 140 patients with chronic HCV infection which were investigated using a designed satisfaction survey that consisted of 13 questions. Our study highlights that patients with chronic HCV infection have a significant degree of impairment in quality of life The majority of the study lot consider that the delay in receiving viral treatment is also an economic burden on the healthcare system due to frequent visits to the physician and hospitalizations needed for the periodical evaluation of their liver disease progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]