{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,26]],"date-time":"2025-11-26T16:44:35Z","timestamp":1764175475302,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,8,30]],"date-time":"2023-08-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1693353600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"AbbVie"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Medicina"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background and objectives: Since 2013, highly effective direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment for chronic hepatitis C (CHC) has become available, with cure rates exceeding 95%. For the choice of optimal CHC treatment, an assessment of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype (GT) and liver fibrosis stage is necessary. Information about the distribution of these parameters among CHC patients in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania (the Baltic states) and especially in Ukraine is scarce. This study was performed to obtain epidemiologic data regarding CHC GT and fibrosis stage distribution for better planning of resources and prioritization of patients for DAA drug treatment according to disease severity in high-income (the Baltic states) and lower-middle-income (Ukraine) countries. Materials and methods: The retrospective RESPOND-C study included 1451 CHC patients. Demographic and disease information was collected from medical charts for each patient. Results: The most common suspected mode of viral transmission was blood transfusions (17.8%), followed by intravenous substance use (15.7%); however, in 50.9% of patients, the exact mode of transmission was not clarified. In Ukraine (18.4%) and Estonia (26%), transmission by intravenous substance use was higher than in Lithuania (5%) and Latvia (5.3%). Distribution of HCV GT among patients with CHC was as follows: GT1\u201466.4%; GT3\u201428.1; and GT2\u20144.1%. The prevalence of GT1 was the highest in Latvia (84%) and the lowest in Ukraine (63%, p &lt; 0.001). Liver fibrosis stages were distributed as follows: F0\u201412.2%, F1\u201426.3%, F2\u201423.5%, F3\u201417.1%, and F4\u201420.9%. Cirrhosis (F4) was more prevalent in Lithuanian patients (30.1%) than in Estonians (8.1%, p &lt; 0.001). Conclusions: This study contributes to the knowledge of epidemiologic characteristics of HCV infection in the Baltic states and Ukraine. The data regarding the patterns of HCV GT and fibrosis stage distribution will be helpful for the development of national strategies to control HCV infection in the era of DAA therapy.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/medicina59091577","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,8,30]],"date-time":"2023-08-30T09:48:15Z","timestamp":1693388895000},"page":"1577","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Genotype Distribution and Characteristics of Chronic Hepatitis C Infection in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Ukraine: The RESPOND-C Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"59","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6488-6312","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ligita","family":"Jan\u010dorien\u0117","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinic of Infectious Diseases and Dermatovenerology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Medical Faculty, Vilnius University, Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, LT-08406 Vilnius, Lithuania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Baiba","family":"Rozent\u0101le","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Latvian Centre of Infectious Diseases, Riga East Clinical University Hospital, LV-1006 Riga, Latvia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ieva","family":"Tolmane","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Latvian Centre of Infectious Diseases, Riga East Clinical University Hospital, LV-1006 Riga, Latvia"},{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, University of Latvia, LV-1586 Riga, Latvia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Agita","family":"J\u0113ruma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Latvian Centre of Infectious Diseases, Riga East Clinical University Hospital, LV-1006 Riga, Latvia"},{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Riga Stradins University, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Riina","family":"Salupere","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Tartu University Hospital, University of Tartu, EE-50406 Tartu, Estonia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4417-4198","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Arida","family":"Buivydien\u0117","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinic of Gastroenterology, Nephrourology and Surgery, Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, LT-08406 Vilnius, Lithuania"},{"name":"Centre of Hepatology, Gastroenterology and Dietetics, Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, LT-08406 Vilnius, Lithuania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jonas","family":"Valantinas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinic of Gastroenterology, Nephrourology and Surgery, Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, LT-08406 Vilnius, Lithuania"},{"name":"Centre of Hepatology, Gastroenterology and Dietetics, Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, LT-08406 Vilnius, Lithuania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Limas","family":"Kup\u010dinskas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Gastroenterology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, LT-50161 Kaunas, Lithuania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jolanta","family":"\u0160umskien\u0117","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Gastroenterology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, LT-50161 Kaunas, Lithuania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Egl\u0117","family":"\u010ciupkevi\u010dien\u0117","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Gastroenterology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, LT-50161 Kaunas, Lithuania"},{"name":"Health Research Institute, Faculty of Public Health, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, LT-47181 Kaunas, Lithuania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Arvydas","family":"Ambrozaitis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinic of Infectious Diseases and Dermatovenerology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Medical Faculty, Vilnius University, Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, LT-08406 Vilnius, Lithuania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Olga","family":"Golubovska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Infectious Disease Department, O.O. Bogomolets National Medical University, 01601 Kyiv, Ukraine"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7111-3155","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Larysa","family":"Moroz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Infectious Diseases with the Course of Epidemiology, National Pirogov Memorial Medical University, 21018 Vinnytsya, Ukraine"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3394-1635","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Robert","family":"Flisiak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-089 Bialystok, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0370-900X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Borys","family":"Bondar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"AbbVie Biopharmaceuticals GmbH, 01032 Kyiv, Ukraine"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,8,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"World Health Organization (2023, February 24). 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