@article{3106504,
    title = "Aiming towards hepatitis C virus elimination in Greece",
    author = "Papatheodoridis, G.V. and Goulis, J. and Sypsa, V. and Lionis, C. and Manolakopoulos, S. and Elefsiniotis, I. and Anagnostou, O. and Tsoulas, C. and Hatzakis, A. and Dalekos, G.N.",
    journal = "Annals of Gastroenterological Surgery",
    year = "2019",
    volume = "32",
    number = "4",
    pages = "321-329",
    publisher = "Hellenic Society of Gastroenterology",
    doi = "10.20524/aog.2019.0375",
    keywords = "antivirus agent;  elbasvir plus grazoprevir;  glecaprevir plus pibrentasvir;  ledipasvir plus sofosbuvir;  nonstructural protein 5A inhibitor;  ombitasvir plus paritaprevir plus ritonavir;  ribavirin;  sofosbuvir plus velpatasvir;  sofosbuvir plus velpatasvir plus voxilaprevir, Article;  beta thalassemia;  chronic hepatitis C;  disease elimination;  disease severity;  enzyme linked immunosorbent assay;  follow up;  general practitioner;  genotype;  Greece;  hemoglobinopathy;  Hepatitis C virus;  high risk population;  human;  liver cirrhosis;  liver disease;  mass screening;  morbidity;  mortality;  opiate substitution treatment;  patient care;  prevalence;  primary health care;  sustained virologic response;  transient elastography;  viral clearance;  viremia;  virus load",
    abstract = "There are estimated to be 74,000-134,000 patients living with chronic hepatitis C in Greece, but only 20-30% of them are aware of their disease status. In July 2017, the Hellenic National Plan for Hepatitis C was announced in alignment with the World Health Organization goals for the eradication of hepatitis C virus (HCV) by the year 2030. This article discusses the epidemiology and current treatment of chronic hepatitis C in Greece. Additionally the authors propose actions on how to bring back to care diagnosed patients lost to follow up, optimize access to care for HCV-infected people who inject drugs, and increase HCV screening in the general population. The medical community in Greece can play a pivotal role in the implementation of the HCV National Plan and in the efforts to reach the goal of HCV elimination. © 2019 Hellenic Society of Gastroenterology."
}