Determination of HCV Prevalence in a HIV Patient Cohort in Phnom Penh, Cambodia (HCV-Epi)

Determination of Hepatitis C Prevalence, Genetic Diversity and Treatment Eligibility in an HIV Patient Cohort in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Hepatitis C (HCV) is an important global public health problem, disproportionately affecting HIV positive populations. Asia and Africa account for most of the co-infection burden, but access to HCV screening and treatment is still very limited. It is expected though, with the recent therapeutic advances and increasing global advocacy efforts, that HCV treatment should become a feasible option in the near future.

Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE (Phnom Penh, Cambodia) is catering for one of the largest HIV cohorts of the country, followed in an ambulatory settings. In this cohort, the prevalence of HCV co-infection will be determined, as well as HCV genotype diversity and the severity of liver disease. The researcher will also explore the performance of simple blood tests/panels as predictors of significant fibrosis and/or cirrhosis.

Patients will attend two study-visits. All adult patients of the HIV patient cohort of SHCH will be proposed HCV testing during their next HIV follow-up consultation, following the latest algorithm of the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) (May 2013). Anamnesis and clinical examination will focus, additionally to routine practice, on presence of general and HCV liver-disease related features. Laboratory analyses will include basic HIV tests (CD4), and tests for liver function such as Hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg) .

During the following routine HIV follow-up consultation, the results of HCV testing will be explained to the patient. If the patient is HCV negative, his/her study participation ends here. If currently infected with HCV, the clinician will repeat the HCV liver-disease (extra-hepatic & hepatic) related anamnesis and clinical examination, and prescribe additional blood tests for the non-invasive liver fibrosis/cirrhosis blood panel tests, liver and kidney function. Patients will moreover be asked to undergo a liver ultrasound and liver stiffness measurements.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Hepatitis C; HIV
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: HCV screening

Detailed Description

Hepatitis C (HCV) is an important global public health problem, disproportionally affecting HIV positive populations. Asia and Africa account for most of the co-infection burden, but access to HCV screening and treatment is still very limited. The high cost and complexity of current diagnostic and treatment algorithms are major bottlenecks and the linked lack of accurate HCV prevalence estimates and treatment-need data do not allow for robust treatment advocacy and program planning. Cambodia is not an exception.

It is expected though, with the recent therapeutic advances and increasing global advocacy efforts, that HCV treatment should become a feasible option in the near future. Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE (Phnom Penh, Cambodia) is catering for one of the largest HIV cohorts of the country, and it is planning to engage in HCV treatment from 2014 2015 onwards, with a double objective of direct patient benefit and catalyst role at national level, as in the past when starting its antiretroviral (ARV) program.

Within this specific setting, the researchers plan to determine the prevalence of HCV co-infection, HCV genotype diversity and severity of liver disease in this HIV patient cohort, followed in an ambulatory setting. The researchers will also explore the performance of simple blood tests/panels as predictors of significant fibrosis and/or cirrhosis .

The current HCV diagnostic procedures (and tools), as applied in this study, are too expensive and resource-demanding to allow for scalability in resource limited settings. Thus, the researchers plan to set up during this study a biobank with samples of a clinically well described HIV patient population. These samples should allow constituting a well-balanced panel for evaluation of future 'more scalable' HCV diagnostic tools.

Patients will attend two study-visits. All adult patients of the HIV cohort will be proposed HCV testing during their next regular HIV follow-up consultation. HCV testing will follow the latest algorithm of the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) (May 2013). During this same consultation, anamnesis and clinical examination will focus, additionally to routine practice ,on presence of general and HCV liver-disease related features. Laboratory analyses will also include basic HIV (CD4), and tests for liver function such as Hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg).

During the following routine HIV follow-up consultation (2-3 months later), the results of HCV testing will be explained to the patient. If the patient is HCV negative, his/her study participation ends here. If currently infected with Hepatitis C, the clinician will repeat the HCV liver-disease (extra-hepatic & hepatic) related anamnesis and clinical examination and prescribe additional blood tests for the non-invasive liver fibrosis/cirrhosis blood panel tests, liver and kidney function. Patients will moreover be asked to undergo a liver ultrasound and liver stiffness measurements.

The biobank will be set up with left over biological samples (whole blood plasma and serum) and comprehensive clinical information of all patients who give additional consent for this scope. Both biological samples and clinical information will be coded, to ensure confidentiality.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 3045

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Cambodia
  • Phnom Penh, Cambodia
    • Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE (SHCH), Cambodia

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

All adult patients in a cohort of HIV-positive patients in Cambodia

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adult (> or = 18 years old)
• Documented HIV positive
• In regular HIV care follow-up (min. 2 consultations in the last six months prior to the study)
• Willing and able to provide written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• HIV patients with currently taking Hepatitis C treatment or with a history of prior hepatitis C treatment

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
HCV screening; All adult patients of an existing HIV cohort	Procedure: HCV screening; HCV antibody screening, liver function tests, full blood count and HbsAg will performed. Additional blood samples will be taken for further HCV diagnostic work-out (polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and genotyping). For patients with current HCV infection, liver ultrasound, transient elastography - Firbroscan and further lab analysis will be performed.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Seroprevalence of HCV infection	Seroprevalence of HCV infection in the HIV patient cohort	Baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Proportion of current HCV infection	Proportion of currently infected with HCV among the HCV-IgG positive HIV patients	Baseline
Proportion of HCV false-positives	Proportion of HCV biologically false-positives among HCV-IgG positive screening	Baseline
HCV genotypes	Proportions of different HCV genotypes	Baseline
Severity of liver disease in HCV patients	To determine the severity of liver disease by transient elastography in this coinfected cohort	Baseline
HCV diagnostic accuracy	To compare the diagnostic accuracy of commonly available blood panel tests for fibrosis staging in this coinfected cohort, with liver stiffness measurement (considered as reference standard).	Baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Institute of Tropical Medicine, Belgium
• Collaborators: Universiteit Antwerpen; Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE (SHCH), Phnom Penh, Cambodia
• Investigators: Study Director: Anja De Weggheleire, MD, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium; Principal Investigator: An Sokkab, MD, Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE (SHCH), Cambodia

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• De Weggheleire A, De Baetselier I, An S, Goletti S, Suin V, Thai S, Francque S, Crucitti T, Lynen L, Van Gucht S, Kabamba BM. Challenges to Differentiate Hepatitis C Genotype 1 and 6: Results from A Field-Study in Cambodia. Infect Dis Ther. 2020 Sep;9(3):657-667. doi: 10.1007/s40121-020-00304-7. Epub 2020 May 30.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: November 1, 2014
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 1, 2016
• Study Completion (Actual): April 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 6, 2015
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 6, 2015
• First Posted (Estimate): February 11, 2015

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): May 16, 2016
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 13, 2016
• Last Verified: May 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Digestive System Diseases; RNA Virus Infections; Virus Diseases; Infections; Blood-Borne Infections; Communicable Diseases; Liver Diseases; Flaviviridae Infections; Hepatitis, Viral, Human; Hepatitis; Hepatitis C
• Other Study ID Numbers: HCV-Epi