Theme: Clinical Research Year: 2021
Background: HCV treatment and cure have been shown to improve quality of life(QOL), but HCV treatment’s impact on QOL in opioid use disorder(OUD) patients is unknown. This study investigated variables associated with improving QOL in OUD patients receiving HCV treatment. Methods: ANCHOR is a study of people with OUD, opioid misuse within 1 year, and HCV treated with HCV direct-acting antivirals. Patients were offered buprenorphine if they were not receiving medication for OUD(MOUD). Throughout HCV treatment, patients were evaluated by clinicians and administered surveys assessing demographics and drug-use behaviors. MOUD status was assessed at last attended visit up to week 24. HCV-PRO, a survey measuring QOL during HCV treatment wherein increased scores denote improved QOL, was administered at baseline, week 12, and week 24. At week 24, patients were evaluated for HCV cure(SVR). A mixed-effects linear regression analyzed variables associated with changes in HCV-PRO scores. Results: Of 198 participants, average age was 55 years, 68.2% were male, and 83.3% were Black. Compared with baseline, HCV-PRO scores significantly increased at weeks 12 and 24(p
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