{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,10]],"date-time":"2026-02-10T20:49:07Z","timestamp":1770756547137,"version":"3.50.0"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,29]],"date-time":"2026-01-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1769644800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,2]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Hemodialysis patients are a priority population for hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination in Taiwan, where HCV prevalence and end-stage kidney disease burden are high. The introduction of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) has accelerated elimination efforts. This study evaluated HCV care cascade and identified gaps among Taiwan's hemodialysis patients in the DAA era.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We conducted a retrospective cohort study using National Health Insurance Research Database from 2015 to 2021. Adult patients receiving long-term hemodialysis were included. HCV infection was defined as positive RNA test, and treatment initiation as receipt of \u22657 days of DAA therapy. We assessed the care cascade, annual and cumulative treatment rates, and disparities by demographic and facility characteristics.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Among 14 755 HCV antibody-positive patients, 48.2% underwent confirmatory RNA testing. Of 4783 viremic patients, 73.4% initiated DAA therapy. The greatest attrition occurred at the RNA confirmation step. Testing rates were lower among males (47% vs 50% in females), older adults, patients treated in tertiary hospitals (46%), and those in metropolitan areas (48% vs 52% rural). Regional variation was substantial, ranging from 38% to 41% in Eastern, Central, and Taipei regions to 67% in Southern Taiwan. Annual treatment initiation rose from 3.0% in 2017% to 50% in 2019, and then declined to 33% in 2021. Cumulative treatment increased from 10% before 2018% to 73.4% by 2021.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>HCV care among hemodialysis patients in Taiwan has improved substantially in the DAA era. The major barrier is incomplete RNA testing. Addressing this gap is essential to sustain progress and achieve HCV elimination in this high-risk population.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1093\/ofid\/ofag039","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,24]],"date-time":"2026-01-24T12:36:58Z","timestamp":1769258218000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The Journey to Hepatitis C Elimination in Taiwan: Insights From the Hemodialysis Population"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9817-3131","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ming-Yan","family":"Jiang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, National Cheng Kung University , Tainan ,","place":["Taiwan"]},{"name":"Renal Division, Department of Internal Medicine, Chi Mei Medical Center , Tainan ,","place":["Taiwan"]},{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, Chia Nan University of Pharmacy and Science , Tainan ,","place":["Taiwan"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-4624-4631","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yi-Chan","family":"Lee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Health Policy and Management, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University , Taipei ,","place":["Taiwan"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4715-3787","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tsung-Hsueh","family":"Lu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, National Cheng Kung University , Tainan ,","place":["Taiwan"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"286","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026021010211696200_ofag039-B1","author":"World Health Organization"},{"key":"2026021010211696200_ofag039-B2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"396","DOI":"10.1016\/S2468-1253(21)00472-6","article-title":"Global change in hepatitis C virus prevalence and cascade of care between 2015 and 2020: a modelling study","volume":"7","author":"Polaris Observatory HCV Collaborators","year":"2022","journal-title":"Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol"},{"key":"2026021010211696200_ofag039-B3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"378","DOI":"10.1007\/s12072-015-9629-x","article-title":"A review of the burden of hepatitis C virus infection in China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan","volume":"9","author":"Bennett","year":"2015","journal-title":"Hepatol Int"},{"key":"2026021010211696200_ofag039-B4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1193","DOI":"10.1002\/hep4.1531","article-title":"Secular trends and geographic maps of hepatitis C virus infection among 4 million blood donors in Taiwan from 1999 to 2017","volume":"4","author":"Chen","year":"2020","journal-title":"Hepatol Commun"},{"key":"2026021010211696200_ofag039-B5","volume-title":"Combating hepatitis B and C to reach elimination by 2030: advocacy brief. 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