Table 1.
Operational Definitions of Contraindications to Hepatitis C Virus Therapy Used for the Current Study
| Contraindications to HCV treatment | Operational definition |
|---|---|
| Life threatening medical illness | |
| Malignancy | ≥2 ICD-9 codes any time prior to treatment |
| Coronary artery disease | ≥2 ICD-9 codes within past 12 months |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | ≥2 ICD-9 codes within past 12 months |
| Uncontrolled seizures | ≥ICD-9 codes within past 12 months |
| Autoimmune disorders | ≥2 ICD-9 codes for rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, autoimmune hepatitis, any time prior to treatment |
| Decompensated liver disease | Any of the following at anytime prior to treatment or last observation date, whichever came first: |
| INR >1.3 | |
| Albumin <2.5 g/dl | |
| Diagnosis of esophageal varices, ascites, hepatic encephalopathy | |
| Total bilirubin >2.0 mg/dl | |
| Active psychiatric illness | Any one inpatient admission with condition listed as primary reason for admission, or two or more clinic visits to a psychiatric clinic within 12 months prior to entering the cohort, or any time during follow-up |
| Recent alcohol abuse | Any primary alcohol-related admission (e.g., alcohol withdrawal syndrome, delirium tremens, alcohol rehabilitation admission, etc. with condition listed as primary reason for admission) within 12 months prior to entering the cohort, or any time during follow-up |
| Recent drug use | Any one inpatient admission with condition listed as primary reason for admission, or two or more clinic visits to a drug rehabilitation clinic within 12 months prior to entering the cohort, or any time during follow-up |
| Renal failure | Serum creatinine >1.5 mg/dl collected as an outpatient |
| Uncontrolled diabetes | ≥2 glucose levels >250 mg/dl within 12 month prior to entering the cohort or any time during follow-up (only outpatient values) |
| Moderate to severe anemia | Hemoglobin <12 g/dl for men, <11.0 g/dl for women, within 12 months prior to treatment date or last observation date |
| Neutropenia | Total white blood cell count <1.5×103 cells/mm3 |
| Heart, lung, kidney transplant | ICD-9 code at any time prior to HCV treatment; if no HCV treatment, then at any time prior to last observation date |
| Advanced HIV disease | Lowest CD4 count <100 per mm3 |