Viral Hepatitis Treatment at the Clínic

The Viral Hepatitis Unit provides follow-up care for more than 6,300 patients with viral hepatitis. Around 60% have a history of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, while around 20% are affected by hepatitis B virus (HBV).

The first direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) for HCV appeared in 2011 and have now largely replaced interferon therapy. Since then, the Unit has treated nearly 2,400 patients.

Although the majority of patients with hepatitis C were cured in previous years, there is still a steady flow of new patients with HCV who are referred from primary care or by other healthcare professionals and medical specialities. To date, more than 700 patients with mild liver disease have been discharged from follow-up after resolution of the HCV infection.

For hepatitis B, there are more than 1,200 patients under follow-up; around 25% of them receive long-term treatment with specific antiviral drugs (e.g. tenofovir and entecavir).

The Viral Hepatitis Unit at the Hospital Clínic is a pioneer in the study of patients with viral hepatitis, particularly liver transplant recipients and those with advanced liver disease.

In addition, the Unit has actively participated in the clinical development of new oral antiviral agents for hepatitis C, which has made it a referral centre for the treatment of patients with cirrhosis, liver transplantation, renal failure requiring haemodialysis or extrahepatic disease.

Recently, the Unit has been involved in the hepatitis C elimination process and has focused on populations at greatest risk, including persons with high-risk sexual behaviours and those who use drugs.

The Unit has also led a study on the prevalence and risk factors of viral hepatitis in Catalonia through the establishment of a population-based registry.

The Hepatitis Unit is also interested in the impact of hepatitis C virus elimination at different levels, including assessment of the remission of HCV-associated extrahepatic disease; changes in the psychological and psychiatric spectrum; changes in the degree of portal hypertension and cardiopulmonary circulation in patients with cirrhosis; and changes in the incidence of liver tumours.

The professionals who make up the Unit are experts in hepatitis B and hepatitis D, and are following up a large cohort of over 1,200 patients. In recent years, intensive work has been carried out on the controlled withdrawal of antiviral treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis B and on the clinical and histological study of patients co-infected with hepatitis D virus.