Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) organization has recently issued its latest clinical practice guideline, offering guidance for the prevention, diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in people with chronic kidney disease (CKD).
The 2022 updated guideline comprises a total of 63 recommendations, aiming to provide valuable assistance to healthcare professionals in the management of patients with HCV infection and CKD.
This encompasses patients undergoing dialysis and those who have received kidney transplants. Several notable changes have been introduced in this update.
Firstly, the guideline recommends an expansion of HCV treatment with sofosbuvir-based regimens to encompass patients falling under CKD glomerular filtration rate categories G4 and G5, including those currently on dialysis.
This represents a significant step towards broadening treatment access.
Secondly, the guideline suggests enlarging the donor pool for kidney transplant recipients by considering HCV-positive kidneys for transplantation, irrespective of the recipient’s HCV status.
This approach could potentially increase the availability of suitable kidneys for transplantation and reduce wait times for patients in need.
Furthermore, the guideline advocates for the initiation of direct-acting antiviral treatment for patients infected with HCV who display clinical evidence of glomerulonephritis without necessitating a kidney biopsy.
This streamlined approach to treatment aims to expedite the intervention process, improving patient outcomes.
The updated guideline also addresses the use of immunosuppressive regimens in patients diagnosed with glomerulonephritis.
These recommendations are essential for healthcare professionals managing patients with this particular form of kidney disease associated with HCV.
To facilitate decision-making, the guideline synopsis includes various visual aids.
Among these are a table that highlights the key changes introduced in the 2022 guidelines compared to those of 2018, a figure illustrating direct-acting antiviral (DAA) regimens proven effective for diverse CKD populations, and a visual guide outlining the indications for kidney biopsies in patients with HCV and severe glomerulonephritis.
KDIGO has also committed to regularly assessing the relevance and currency of its recommendations. This ongoing evaluation will help determine whether further updates are necessary within the next three years.
These updated guidelines represent a significant step forward in improving the care and management of individuals with HCV and CKD, ultimately enhancing their quality of life and health outcomes.
If you care about kidney health, please read studies about how to protect your kidneys from diabetes, and drinking coffee could help reduce risk of kidney injury.
For more information about kidney health, please see recent studies about foods that may prevent recurrence of kidney stones, and eating nuts linked to lower risk of chronic kidney disease and death.
The research findings can be found in Annals of Internal Medicine.
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