Hepatitis C in healthcare personnel: secondary data analysis of therapies with direct-acting antiviral agents.

Background: Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infections are blood-borne, generally chronic and are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study is to describe the results of therapies with direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) in healthcare personnel.
Methods: Secondary data analysis using data from the Statutory Accident Insurance of the Health and Welfare Service. The study surveyed DAA therapies administered to insured parties (healthcare personnel with an HCV infection recognised as an occupational disease) in Germany between 01/01/2014 and 30/11/2016. The end points were results of monitorings carried out twelve weeks after the end of treatment (SVR12), side effects and the results of the assessment of reduced work ability after treatment. Multivariate logistic regression models were constructed to model SVR12.
Results: The study population ( n  = 180) comprised 74% women, 90% of the participants had an HCV genotype 1 infection. Two-thirds had fibrosis or cirrhosis and were treatment experienced. The most common combined therapy was ledipasvir and sofosbuvir (49%). A DAA therapy with ribavirin was administered in 20% of cases, with (pegylated) interferon and ribavirin used in 2% of cases. The majority of therapies were completed without any side effects. The overall SVR12 rate was 94%. Significant independent predictor of decrease odds of SVR12 was liver cirrhosis. Positive effects on the healthcare personnel's work ability were observed after successful therapy.
Conclusion: High SVR12 rates were achieved in the sample population, with positive effects on their work ability. Early HCV therapy seems reasonable due to the increased chance of successful treatment of the infection.
Competing Interests: The study was not submitted to an ethic commission as only anonym routine data of an insurance were used and no personal data were collected and no medical test was performed in the scope of the study. In accordance with the Professional Code for Physicians in Hamburg (Art. 15, 1., Status of 10.03.2014) and the Chamber Legislation for Medical Professions in the Federal State of Hamburg (HmbKGH) it is only necessary to obtain advice on questions of professional ethics and professional conduct from an Ethics Committee if data which can be traced to a particular individual is being used in a research project. However, the study was approved by the data protection board of the insurance which provided the data.The authors declare that they have no competing interests.Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.