Predictors of Direct-Acting Antivirals Failure in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C Virus in Ivory Coast: About 5 Cases

Abstract

Context and Aim: Direct-acting antivirals are the therapeutic revolution in the management of viral hepatitis C, but often with a few cases of failure. The aim of this study was to identify factors that may be implicated in the failure of direct-acting antiviral therapy in patients with hepatitis C virus in Ivory Coast. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional and descriptive study with a retrospective compendium of data from the year 2016 to the year 2018. This study included all patients with chronic viral hepatitis C, patients naive to antiviral treatment, or pre-treated patients in whom a failure to treatment with direct-acting antiviral has been diagnosed. Results: During the study period, 5 patients out of 14 cases of therapeutic failure were included, i.e. 35.71%. Most of the patients were over 50 years (4 out of 5) and predominantly female (3 out of 5). High blood pressure was the most common comorbidity (3 out of 5 patients). Genotype 1 was found in 4 patients versus 1 case of genotype 2. None of the patients had hepatitis B or HIV coinfection. A viral load > 6log was found in 4 patients at baseline. All our patients had hepatic cytolysis. Two of them were cirrhotic. All 4 cases of genotype 1 benefited from the combination sofosbuvir + ledipasvir for 12 weeks and the case of genotype 2 from the combination sofosbuvir + ribavirin for 24 weeks. The resistance mutations were observed mainly on the sequencing of NS5A at the Y93H, L31M, 28L, 30T, 31V, 58S and 93H genes and a case of mutation on the N3 gene sequencing. Conclusion: Age > 50 years, comorbidities (high blood pressure), polymedication, female gender, genotype 1b, viremia > 6log, and cytolysis were the profile of patients with treatment of HCV by direct-acting antiviral failure.