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Background
Alcohol consumption is a risk factor for liver disease-related mortality, and may compound risk for individuals diagnosed with hepatitis C virus (HCV). This study aims to examine the prevalence of alcohol use disorder among individuals recently treated for HCV in British Columbia (BC), Canada.
Methods
We used baseline and follow-up data from the Preservation of Sustained Virological Response (Per-SVR) study, a longitudinal cohort study of individuals aged 19 or older who were recently treated successfully for HCV between 2017 – 2024. Participants completed interview-style surveys every three to six months for up to four years. Participants who completed the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) at baseline were included in this analysis. Logistic Regression was used to describe and assess factors associated with indication of alcohol use disorder (AUD) among the study population.
Results
The Per-SVR cohort comprised of 287 participants, out of which 171 (59.6%) completed the baseline AUDIT survey. Of 171 participants, 61.4% (n=105) were men, and the median age was 53 years (Q1,Q3: 45,59). A total of 52 (30.4%) participants met the criteria for AUD. Among 46 clients with AUD who had 1+ follow-up survey completed, 43.5% (n=20) no longer met the criteria for AUD at follow-up (~15 months). Participants with AUD were more likely to report cigarette/tobacco use (AOR: 2.9, 95% CI: 1.05–8.21) and were less likely to have a high school education (AOR: 0.4, 95% CI: 0.20–0.81) (vs those without AUD).
Conclusion
Our study highlights a high prevalence of alcohol use disorder (AUD) among individuals recently treated for hepatitis C (HCV) in our cohort. In this study, AUD was associated with tobacco use and education history. There may be a need to consider AUD screening and accessible intervention programs alongside HCV clinical programs.
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