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Recent findings published in the Journal of Viral Hepatitis showed that race was a nonfactor in the early mortality of patients with hepatitis C virus infection. African-American patients with kidney disease and low albumin, however, were at greater risk for HCV-related mortality.
“All patients with chronic HCV regardless of race died at an earlier age (53-65 years) than predicted for the overall population (75-79 years),” Paul H. Naylor, PhD, assistant professor of internal medicine/gastroenterology at Wayne State University School of Medicine, and colleagues wrote. “[However], this is the first study to report racial disparity in comorbidities and that the increased HCV mortality in African-Americans has as a significant risk factor chronic kidney disease.”
The investigators noted that African-American patients with kidney disease and low albumin were at greater early mortality risk than whites with those characteristics.
Source: Stubbs A, et al. J Viral Hepat. 2016;doi:10.1111/jvh.12504.