Prevalence of cirrhosis in hepatitis C patients in the Chronic Hepatitis Cohort Study (CHeCS): a retrospective and prospective observational study

Am J Gastroenterol. 2015 Aug;110(8):1169-77; quiz 1178. doi: 10.1038/ajg.2015.203. Epub 2015 Jul 28.

Abstract

Objectives: The severity of liver disease in the hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected population in the United States remains uncertain. We estimated the prevalence of cirrhosis in adults with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) using multiple parameters including liver biopsy, diagnosis/procedure codes, and a biomarker.

Methods: Patients enrolled in the Chronic Hepatitis Cohort Study (CHeCS) who received health services during 2006-2010 were included. Cirrhosis was identified through liver biopsy reports, diagnosis/procedure codes for cirrhosis or hepatic decompensation, and Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) scores ≥5.88. Demographic and clinical characteristics associated with cirrhosis were identified through multivariable logistic modeling.

Results: Among 9,783 patients, 2,788 (28.5%) were cirrhotic by at least one method. Biopsy identified cirrhosis in only 661 (7%) patients, whereas FIB-4 scores and diagnosis/procedure codes for cirrhosis and hepatic decompensation identified cirrhosis in 2,194 (22%), 557 (6%), and 482 (5%) patients, respectively. Among 661 patients with biopsy-confirmed cirrhosis, only 356 (54%) had an International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) code for cirrhosis. Older age, male gender, Asian race, Hispanic ethnicity, genotype 3 infection, HIV coinfection, diabetes, history of antiviral therapy, and history of alcohol abuse were independently associated with higher odds of cirrhosis (all, P<0.05). Conversely, private health insurance coverage, black race, and HCV genotype 2 were associated with lower odds of cirrhosis.

Conclusions: A high proportion of patients with biopsy-confirmed cirrhosis are not assigned ICD-9 codes for cirrhosis. Consequently, ICD-9 codes may not be reliable as the sole indicator of the prevalence of cirrhosis in cohort studies. Use of additional parameters suggests a fourfold higher prevalence of cirrhosis than is revealed by biopsy alone. These findings suggest that cirrhosis in CHC patients may be significantly underdocumented and underdiagnosed.

Publication types

  • Observational Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Age Factors
  • Aged
  • Alcoholism / epidemiology
  • Anti-Retroviral Agents / therapeutic use
  • Asian / statistics & numerical data
  • Biopsy
  • Black or African American / statistics & numerical data
  • Coinfection
  • Diabetes Mellitus / epidemiology
  • Female
  • HIV Infections / drug therapy
  • HIV Infections / epidemiology*
  • Hepacivirus / genetics
  • Hepatitis C, Chronic / complications
  • Hepatitis C, Chronic / epidemiology*
  • Hepatitis C, Chronic / virology
  • Hispanic or Latino / statistics & numerical data
  • Humans
  • Insurance, Health
  • International Classification of Diseases
  • Liver / pathology
  • Liver Cirrhosis / diagnosis
  • Liver Cirrhosis / epidemiology*
  • Liver Cirrhosis / virology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Prevalence
  • Prospective Studies
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Sex Factors
  • United States / epidemiology

Substances

  • Anti-Retroviral Agents