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An international group of researchers has developed a simple and inexpensive blood test for the hepatitis B virus that has accurately identified African patients eligible for treatment.
"Once these findings validated by other studies, they could potentially be incorporated into the WHO guidelines and local guidelines – and put into practice in daily practice" Yusuke Shimakawa , MD, PhD, epidemiologist at the Pasteur Institute of Paris, said in a press release. "There is great potential to diagnose more people and improve access to treatment."
According to Shimakawa and his colleagues, patients with chronic HBV infections are eligible for treatment based on three factors: viral replication, hepatic fibrosis and inflammation. The diagnostic tools used to badess these conditions are rarely available in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Real-time PCR alone – the current standard for measuring viral load – is expensive, costs between $ 60 and $ 200 per test, and requires specialized equipment and training.
To solve this problem, Shimakawa and his colleagues developed a simple treatment eligibility score for HBV, known as TREAT-B. The score is based on clinical data from 804 chronic HBV patients in The Gambia. The test uses measurements of HBV e antigen and alanine aminotransferase that can be obtained with a single blood sample. It can be easily implemented in LMICs and used by non-specialized health care providers, according to the researchers. To further simplify the process, TREAT-B could be turned into a finger test, similar to those used for HIV, the publication said. The total cost is about $ 20.
The efficacy of TREAT-B was validated in a cohort of African patients from Senegal, Burkina Faso and Europe infected with HBV (n = 327). The accuracy of the diagnosis was high, with a sensitivity of 85% and a specificity of 77%, the researchers said. Because HBV DNA is one of the most significant indicators of HBV-related liver disease, Shimakawa and colleagues compared the performance of TREAT-B with another score incorporating HBV-related DNA. HBV. The area under the curve of each score was similar, indicating the utility of TREAT-B when DNA measurements are not available, the researchers said. The results further showed that the efficacy of TREAT-B did not vary with age, genotype, presence of obesity or cirrhosis. "In conclusion, TREAT-B represents a promising simple and inexpensive diagnostic score that can help physicians easily identify individuals infected with HBV in need of treatment in Africa," the researchers wrote. "Its use can contribute to the overall elimination of HBV by facilitating the intensification and decentralization of HBV treatment programs in the LMICS." TREAT-B deserves to be validated again at D & B. other African and non-African patients with chronic hepatitis B in the ICL. " – Stephanie Viguers
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Disclosure s : Author reported having received grants from Gilead Sciences All other authors do not report any relevant financial information
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