The Association between Urinary Alcohol Metabolites on Hepatitis C Treatment and Response

Background: Direct-acting antiviral (DAA) medications for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has achieved higher rates of sustained virologic response (SVR) with shorter treatment durations and no alcohol abstinence prerequisite. Previous therapies required alcohol abstinence for at least 6 months. Methods: Our retrospective cohort study in Veterans with chronic HCV infection presenting for care at the Joseph Maxwell Cleland Atlanta VA medical center (AVAMC) between 1/1/2015 – 11/29/2017 examined the relationship between alcohol use, DAA initiation, and SVR. Results: The cohort included 1763 people that were mostly males (97%) with a mean age of 63 years and 70% Black. In multivariate analysis, the odds of receiving DAA were 0.7 (95% CI: 0.674, 0.9; p=0.0013) in those with “detectable” alcohol metabolites compared with those who had “undetectable” alcohol metabolites. The odds of achieving SVR were 0.7 (95% CI: 0.5, 1.0; p=0.0525) in those with “detectable” alcohol metabolites. Overall, 86% of patients who received DAA therapy achieved SVR. Conclusions: Alcohol use categorized using urine alcohol metabolite testing, during the study period was associated with a significantly lower odds of receiving DAA therapy but had no statistical significance on the odds of achieving SVR. While patients with chronic hepatitis C should be counseled on the risks of alcohol use, it is not associated with lower likelihood of achieving SVR and should not preclude the initiation of DAA therapy