Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection can lead to inflammation in different parts of the body, causing what are known as extrahepatic manifestations (EHMs). These can include heart diseases, diabetes, neurocognitive disorders (NCD), and chronic kidney diseases (CKD). The risk of experiencing these EHMs can vary among people from different ethnicities due to biological factors and socioeconomic disparities. In our study, we investigated these varying risks among individuals with chronic HCV, focusing on those of East Asian and South Asian descent in British Columbia. This study drew data from a large population-based data, the BC Hepatitis Testers Cohort, which includes 1.3 million people tested for HCV between 1990 and 2015, linked with various health administrative datasets such as physician visits, hospitalizations and chronic disease registry. We included individuals who were diagnosed with chronic HCV and examined the rate at which these individuals were diagnosed with EHMs. We also assessed the risk of EHMs among various ethnic groups, while considering factors such as whether they received HCV treatment, age and sex, socioeconomic status, and other medical conditions. We observed that untreated individuals, regardless of their ethnicity, were more likely to develop EHMs, with the exception of type 2 diabetes. Untreated South Asians had the highest rate of EHMs diagnoses, and after accounting for treatment and other factors, we found that they had a higher risk of CKD compared to others, while HCV treatment reduced the EHM risk for all ethnic groups. South Asians also had a higher risk of diabetes compared to other ethnicities, while East Asians had a lower risk of MACE and NCD compared to others. This study highlighted the differing risks of EHMs among East and South Asians living with chronic HCV. These findings emphasize the importance of tailored interventions to better support individuals of East and South Asian descent who are living with HCV.