P4570 - Prevalence and Association Between Chronic Hepatitis C in Patients Admitted With Alcohol Withdrawal: A Nationwide Analysis

Alejandro J. Nieto Dominguez, MD, Sarah Eichinger, DO
John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County, Chicago, IL

Introduction: Chronic Hepatitis C (HCV) infection and alcohol withdrawal is an area of clinical interest. Chronic alcohol consumption is a known risk factor for liver disease and can significantly worsen the prognosis of patients with HCV, a major cause of chronic liver disease globally. We aim to investigate the prevalence and association of HCV in patients admitted for alcohol withdrawal and we seek to understand how these two conditions interact, so as to inform future screening and management.

Methods: We gathered data from the National Inpatient Sample, a comprehensive U.S. database of inpatient hospital stays, from 2016 to 2019. We specifically focused on patients admitted with alcohol withdrawal and evaluated their relationship in patients with a diagnosis of HCV. For our statistical analysis, we utilized STATA version 18.

Results: There were 10,890 patients admitted with alcohol withdrawal who had concomitant HCV. The mean age of the population studied was 49 years, 74.84% were male and 25.16% were female. Demographic breakdown of the patients studied was as follows: 72.04% White, 12.40% Black, 9.14% Hispanic, and 6.43% Asian or Pacific Islander. Patients admitted for withdrawal were about 2.7 times more likely to have chronic HCV, with an odds ratio of 2.70. This finding was highly significant, supported by a p-value < 0.001 and a confidence interval ranging from 2.57 to 2.83. Our analysis adjusted for a variety of confounders, including age, gender, race, comorbidity index, insurance status, income quartile, hypertension, dyslipidemia, coronary artery disease, and several hospital-related factors such as region, bed size, location, and teaching status.

Discussion: Patients admitted for alcohol withdrawal were 2.7 times more likely to have a concomitant HCV infection. Increased screening could facilitate timely intervention, potentially improving clinical outcomes for this high-risk population. The synergy between alcoholic liver disease and hepatitis C, both major contributors to cirrhosis and subsequent HCC, highlights the importance of these findings. These results should be considered when developing population-based public health strategies for the adequate detection of hepatitis C infections in this special population.


Disclosures:


Alejandro J. Nieto Dominguez, MD, Sarah Eichinger, DO. P4570 - Prevalence and Association Between Chronic Hepatitis C in Patients Admitted With Alcohol Withdrawal: A Nationwide Analysis, ACG 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting Abstracts. Philadelphia, PA: American College of Gastroenterology.