Evaluation of fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C patients treated with direct-acting antivirals

BACKGROUND AND AIM: This study is an evaluation of liver fibrosis measurements determined using transient elastography and aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) scores of patients diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) who were treated with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The liver fibrosis measurements recorded using transient elastography, APRI scores, and the biochemical data from before and after treatment of 40 patients with CHC who were treated with DAA were reviewed. Patients who received paritaprevir+ritonavir/ombitasvir+dasabuvir were included in Group 1 (n=20), and patients who received sofosbuvir+ledipasvir±ribavirin in Group 2 (n=20). RESULTS: The mean liver fibrosis measurement of the patients was 15.73±10.63 kPa (min–max: 5.20–45.00 kPa) before treatment and 2.56±8.84 kPa (min–max: 4.30–42.00 kPa) after treatment. There was a significant improvement in liver fibrosis with a regression of 20.16% at the end of treatment compared with the start (p=0.001) with no significant difference between treatment groups (p=0.542). The highest regression rate of 75% was seen in patients with F2 fibrosis at the end of treatment. Significant regression was also found in patients with F3 fibrosis, with a rate of 57.2%, and in those with F4 fibrosis, with a rate of 17.6% (p=0.035). Significant reduction was also observed in the APRI scores of patients at the end of treatment compared with the start of treatment (p<0.001), with no significant difference between treatment groups (p=0.328). CONCLUSION: Noninvasive assessments of CHC patients treated with DAA revealed regression in liver fibrosis measurements and APRI scores and significant improvements were seen in the stage of fibrosis in the early phases following treatment.