Alper GUNDUZ, Nefise ÇUVALCI ÖZTOPRAK, Nagehan Didem SARI, Behice KURTARAN, Yusuf ÖNLEN, Ebubekir SENATES, Esra ZERDALI, Hasan KARSEN, Ayse BATIREL, Rıdvan Kara ALİ, Rahmet GÜNER, Tansu YAMAZHAN, Sukran KOSE, Nurettin ERBEN, Nevin INCE, İftihar KÖKSAL, Figen Sarıgül YILDIRIM, Gulsen YORUK, Suheyla KOMUR, Tayibe BAL, Sibel KAYA, Şaban ESEN, Özgür GÜNAL, Ilknur Esen YILDIZ, Dilara INAN, Şener BARUT, Mustafa NAMIDURU, Selma TOSUN, Kamuran TÜRKER, Alper SENER, Kenan HIZEL, Nurcan BAYKAM, Fazilet DUYGU, Esragül AKINCI, Güray CAN, Ulku USER, Hanefi Cem GÜL, Ayhan AKBULUT, Güven ÇELEBİ, Mahmut SÜNNETÇİOĞLU, Oğuz KARABAY, Hayat Kumbasar KARAOSMANOĞLU, Fatma SIRMATEL, Fehmi TABAK
Turkish Journal of Gastroenterology - 2026;37(6):673-681
Background/Aims: Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection constitutes a substantial healthcare concern in Türkiye. The clinical application of direct-acting antiviral medications (DAAs) has transformed its management. The goal is to assess the efficacy and safety of DAAs in the real-world setting in Turkish patients with chronic HCV. Materials and Methods: Thirty-seven centers from Türkiye recorded 1807 patients to the database. Patients aged >18 years were enrolled to the study. Their demographics, clinical information, DAAs used, efficacy, and safety information were evaluated. Efficacy and safety results were reported for patients with 12-week post-treatment (SVR12) data. Results: Among the patients, 919 (50.9%) were female with a mean of age 56 +/- 15 years (range:18-97 years) and 238 (13%) were cirrhotic. Liver biopsy was performed in 296 patients. Mean histologic activity index score was 7.68 and fibrosis score was 2.58. Baseline mean viral load was 4.11x 106 copies/mL. Patients received the following treatments: Paritaprevir+Ritonavir+Ombitasvir+Dasabuvir (PrOD):706, Ledipasvir+Sofosbuvir:490, Sofosbuvir+Ribavirin:176, PrOD+Ribavirin:175, Ledipasvir+Sofosbuvir+Ribavirin:156, PrO+Ribavirin:32, and PrO:10. Response at the end of treatment was 99.2% (1454/1465) and SVR12 was 97.8% (1289/1318). The DAAs were generally well tolerated. Ten and 13 patients discontinued therapy because of drug-related and unrelated adverse side effects, respectively. Conclusion: This real-world study demonstrated that DAA treatment for HCV is both safe and highly effective. In two-thirds of the patients, the hepatic inflammation is moderate to severe, and fibrosis is moderate to advanced in half of them. Patients' characteristics suggest that HCV infection is often not diagnosed or treated until patients present with moderate-to-severe stage, indicating that diagnostic and therapeutic approaches should be used more effectively.
