Latino participants needed for clinical study

Editor's Note: Please click on the link to view or print the hep C clinical trial announcement in spanish.

February 7, 2006

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — In one of the first hepatitis C studies in the country focused specifically on the Latino community, UC Davis Medical Center researchers are taking part in a national effort to evaluate response rates in Latino populations when two hepatitis C anti-viral treatments are used in combination.

“Because of its nationwide scope, this study will provide a crucial benchmark for understanding how well certain hepatitis C treatments benefit ethnic communities such as Latinos,” said Lorenzo Rossaro, professor and chief of gastroenterology and hepatology at UC Davis Medical Center and director of the study. “The best way to help victims of this terrible disease is to do as much as we can to understand how to overcome it.”

Rossaro and his colleagues are encouraging Latino men and women with the potentially debilitating virus to enroll in the unique effort. Volunteers who qualify will receive standard hepatitis C treatments at no charge. Treatment includes physical exams, medications and diagnostic tests.

A disease of the liver that frequently leads to scarring (cirrhosis) and liver cancer, hepatitis C is often described as a “silent killer” because it can take years for individuals to experience any symptoms. It is the most common, chronic blood-borne infection in the country, with approximately 4 million people infected, including about 600,000 current cases in California and an estimated 5,000 new cases each year in the state.

Experts say the major risk factor for hepatitis C is injection drug use, such as the sharing of needles and other drug paraphernalia. Additional risk factors include blood transfusions, tattoos or body piercing, and multiple sex partners.

The UC Davis study will compare the effectiveness of two standard anti-viral medications — pegylated interferon and ribavirin — in Latino and non-Latino Caucasian patients.

Rossaro noted that Latinos appear to be disproportionately affected by hepatitis C. Recent studies suggest the disease may progress faster to cirrhosis and liver failure in Latinos when compared to non-Latino Caucasians and African-Americans.

Previous hepatitis C studies of combination therapies showed that African-Americans are less likely to respond to treatment than Caucasians. Researchers want to investigate the effectiveness of using similar medication treatments for Latino patients.

Individuals with hepatitis C who have had no prior treatment should call the UC Davis Liver Disease Research Office at (916) 734-2911 if they are interested in volunteering for the study. Qualifying participants will be given diagnostic tests that may include chest x-rays, an electrocardiogram, an eye examination, a liver biopsy and blood tests.