الملخص الإنجليزي
Objectives: Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is a leading cause of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular
carcinoma (HCC) worldwide. However, there is a lack of data regarding the epidemiology of CHC in Oman. This
study aimed to describe the clinicopathological characteristics and outcomes of CHC-infected patients at a tertiary
care hospital in Oman. Methods: This retrospective descriptive hospital-based study included all CHC-infected
patients who presented to the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) in Muscat, Oman, between January
2010 and December 2015. The baseline demographic, clinical, laboratory and radiological data of the patients were
analysed.
Results: A total of 603 CHC-infected patients were identified during the study period; of these, 65.8%
were male and the mean age was 44.8 ± 16.5 years. The main risk factors associated with CHC infection were
intravenous drug abuse (23.9%) and a history of blood transfusions (20.7%). The most prevalent virus genotypes
were 1 and 3 (44.0% and 35.1%, respectively). Upon initial presentation, 33.0% of the cohort had liver cirrhosis; of
these, 48.7% had decompensated cirrhosis and 23.1% had HCCs. Liver transplantation was only performed for 7.5%
of the cirrhosis patients, mostly as a curative treatment for HCC. Conclusion: The implementation of national
policies to prevent hepatitis C transmission and encourage the early screening of at-risk patients is recommended
to reduce the burden and consequences of this disease in Oman.
