Alcohol users with hepatitis often untreated

NEW YORK, June 22 (Reuters) Individuals who are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and who drink alcohol are often considered ineligible for anti-HCV drug treatment, researchers report. However, alcohol drinkers have responses that are comparable to non-drinkers, they've found.

''Our observations are clinically important because they indicate that alcohol use should not be considered an exclusion criterion when evaluating patients for anti-HCV treatment, especially in view of the fact that nearly one third of patients with HCV infection have a history of recent alcohol use,'' note investigators in the journal Gastroenterology.

Dr Bhupinder S Anand, of the Michael E DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, and colleagues examined the impact of alcohol use on HCV treatment outcomes. Their study involved 4,061 subjects, 726 of whom received treatment for HCV.

The investigators found that subjects who reported using alcohol were more likely to discontinue anti-HCV treatment. Drinkers also had lower response rates to anti-HCV treatment.

However, alcohol drinkers who stuck with their anti-HCV medication had response rates comparable to that of nondrinkers.

''Patients with a history of alcohol use,'' Anand and colleagues conclude, ''should not be excluded from HCV therapy.'' Instead, they should be given additional support to ensure they complete treatment.

''The current attitude among physicians against offering treatment to patients who use alcohol should be reassessed,'' the team concludes.

REUTERS MQA BD0926