Hepatitis C patients who treated infections with direct-acting antiviral agents still face a reinfection risk, according to MedPage Today.
Here's what you should know:
1. Research by Philadelphia-based Perelman School of Medicine HIV/Viral Hepatitis Coinfection Scientific Working Group Co-Director Vincent Lo Re, MD, stated that cured patients, even those that are HCV antibody-positive, are at risk for reinfection.
2. Researchers haven't established set reinfection rates among patients treated with direct-acting antiviral agents because studies are still ongoing.
3. Early findings show patients engaging in high-risk behaviors, like those who inject drugs, face heightened reinfection risks.
4. Reinfected patients need to undergo the same evaluation process a first-time patient would to determine appropriate course of treatment.