Vitamin D deficiency and effect of treatment on seizure frequency and quality of life parameters in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy: A randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to assess the effect of treatment of vitamin D deficiency in drug-resistant epilepsy. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial, including patients aged ≥15 years with drug-resistant focal or generalized epilepsy. Patients with 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) < 30 ng/mL were randomized to an experimental group (EG) receiving vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol, 100 000 IU, five doses in 3 months) or a control group (CG) receiving matched placebo. During the open-label study, EG patients received 100 000 IU/month for 6 months, whereas CG patients received five doses in 3 months then 1/month for 3 months. Monitoring included seizure frequency (SF), 25(OH)D, calcium, albumin, creatinine assays, and standardized scales for fatigue, anxiety-depression, and quality of life (Modified Fatigue Impact Scale [M-FIS], Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Quality of Life in Epilepsy [QOLIE-31]) at 3, 6, and 12 months. The primary efficacy outcome was the percentage of SF reduction compared to the reference period and CG at 3 months. Secondary outcomes were SF and bilateral tonic-clonic seizure (BTCS) reduction, scale score changes, and correlations with 25(OH)D during the follow-up. RESULTS: Eighty-eight patients were enrolled in the study (56 females, aged 17-74 years), with median baseline SF per 3 months = 16.5 and ≥2 antiseizure medications in 88.6%. In 75 patients (85%), 25(OH)D was <30 ng/mL; 40 of them were randomly assigned to EG and 34 to CG. After the 3-month blinded period, SF reduction did not significantly differ between groups. However, during the open-label period, SF significantly decreased (30% median SF reduction, 33% responder rate at 12 months). BTCSs were reduced by 52%. M-FIS and QOLIE-31 scores were significantly improved at the whole group level. SF reduction correlated with 25(OH)D > 30 ng/mL for >6 months. SIGNIFICANCE: Despite no proven effect after the 3-month blinded period, the open-label study suggests that long-term vitamin D3 supplementation with optimal 25(OH)D may reduce SF and BTCSs, with a positive effect on fatigue and quality of life. These findings need to be confirmed by further long-term studies. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03475225 (03-22-2018).

Trajectories and predictive factors of weight recovery in patients with anorexia nervosa completing treatment. A latent class mixed model approach.

BACKGROUND: Treatment of anorexia nervosa (AN) sometimes requires hospitalisation, which is often lengthy, with little ability to predict individual trajectory. Depicting specific profiles of treatment response and their clinical predictors could be beneficial to tailor inpatient management. The aim of this research was to identify clusters of weight recovery during inpatient treatment, and their clinical predictors. METHODS: A sample of 181 inpatients who completed a treatment programme for AN was included in a retrospective study. A latent class mixed model approach was used to identify distinct weight-gain trajectories. Clinical variables were introduced in a multinomial logistic regression model as predictors of the different classes. RESULTS: A four-class quadratic model was retained, able to correctly classify 63.7% of the cohort. It encompassed a late-rising, flattening, moderate trajectory of body mass index (BMI) increase (class 1), a late-rising, steady, high trajectory (class 2), an early-rising, flattening, high trajectory (class 3) and an early-rising, steady, high trajectory (class 4). Significant predictors of belonging to a class were baseline BMI (all classes), illness duration (class 2), and benzodiazepine prescription (class 3). CONCLUSION: Predicting different kinetics of weight recovery based on routinely collected clinical indicators could improve clinician awareness and patient engagement by enabling shared expectations of treatment response.

Cathodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Acute Ischemic Stroke: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background and Purpose: In acute stroke, preventing infarct growth until complete recanalization occurs is a promising approach as an adjunct to reperfusion therapies to reduce infarct size and improve outcome. In rodent models, cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (C-tDCS) decreases peri-infarct depolarizations and reduces infarct volume. We hypothesized that C-tDCS would nonpharmacologically reduce infarct growth in hyperacute middle cerebral artery territory stroke patients receiving reperfusion therapy. Methods: STICA (Cathodal Transcranial Direct Stimulation in Acute Middle Cerebral Artery Stroke) was a pilot single-center, double-blind, 2-arms 1:1 randomized trial evaluating the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of C-tDCS versus sham stimulation in patients eligible for recanalization therapies. Magnetic resonance imaging was obtained both on admission and 24 hours later. The primary end point was 24-hour infarct growth. Secondary outcomes were (1) National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score difference between day 7 and admission and (2) 3-month modified Rankin Scale score. Results: Forty-five patients were randomized. Median magnetic resonance imaging-to-C-tDCS start time was 45 minutes; C-tDCS was started before completion of recanalization procedure in all patients. The intervention proved feasible in all patients. No major adverse effects occurred in either group. There was no significant difference between active and sham groups for any end point. However, an apparent trend towards smaller infarct growth in the C-tDCS arm was observed in the whole group (unadjusted median difference [IC95%]: −2.2 mL [−12.2 to 1.5]) and in the prespecified subsamples with moderate-to-severe stroke and large vessel occlusion (−5.7 mL [−21.6 to 2.6] and −7.7 mL [−24.2 to 2.6], respectively). Conclusions: C-tDCS was feasible and well tolerated. No significant difference was found between the active and sham groups. However, the data suggest potential benefits of C-tDCS in patients with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score of >10 or large vessel occlusion. Using the observed effect size and standard α=5% and ß=20%, samples of 102 and 86, respectively, can be estimated for future trials in patients with these characteristics. Randomized trials particularly targeting these populations may be warranted.

Pain management in children has significantly improved in the Italian emergency departments.

AIM: Pain in children is often poorly assessed and treated in Italian emergency departments (EDs) as found in a survey conducted among the centres of the "Pain in Pediatric Emergency Room (PIPER)" Study Group in 2010. Our aim was to evaluate the changes in pain management in Italian EDs in the last years. METHOD: A structured questionnaire about pain assessment, protocols, use of local anaesthetics before venipuncture, opioids and adjuvants was mailed to 46 Italian EDs between November 2017 and April 2018. RESULTS: Pain was always assessed at triage in 34 centres (73.9%). Algometric scales were used in over 90% of EDs. Triage protocols were available in 37 centres (80.4%). Local anaesthetics before venipuncture were always used in six centres (13.0%). Protocols included opioids and adjuvants in 73.0% and 47.2%, respectively. Triage pain assessment was always done in 91.0% of the centres joining the PIPER Study Group up to 2015 and 56.5% in ones that joined the Group after 2015 (P = .017). Local anaesthetics before venipuncture were given in 39.1% of the centres joining until up to 2015 and 13.0% in ones that joined the Group after 2015 (P = .003). CONCLUSION: Paediatric pain management has significantly improved in Italian EDs in the last 8 years. The centres joining the PIPER Study Group for longer time have shown better results for the indicators considered in the survey.

Sofosbuvir plus daclatasvir with or without ribavirin is safe and effective for post-transplant hepatitis C recurrence and severe fibrosis and cirrhosis: A prospective study.

BACKGROUND: In 2012, an Italian Named Patient Program began for hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected liver transplant (LT) recipients with advanced fibrosis, before approval of direct antiviral agents (DAA), to benefit severely ill patients. The aim of this "real-life" study was to assess treatment efficacy and safety with an extended course of daclatasvir (DCV) plus sofosbuvir (SOF) with or without ribavirin (RBV). METHODS: All HCV LT recipients with severe fibrosis in 15 Italian transplant centers were treated with DCV+SOF±RBV for 24 weeks; sustained virological response was assessed at 12 weeks post-treatment (SVR12). RESULTS: Eighty-seven patients were enrolled (75.9% males, mean age 58.4 ± 7.2 years, 83.9% genotype 1, 81.6% cirrhosis); 52 (59.8%) received RBV. Overall, 79 obtained SVR12 (90.8%): 100% in F3 and 88.7% in cirrhotics (91.5% in Child-Pugh A, 83.3% in Child-Pugh B and C). According to the treatment group, SVR was 80% in DCV + SOF group and 98.1% in SOF + DCV + RBV. Two virological relapses occurred during follow-up in cirrhotic patients who received DCV + SOF. Four cirrhotic patients in DCV + SOF group and 1 in DCV + SOF + RBV group died on treatment. CONCLUSION: An extended course of SOF plus DCV for 24 weeks, with or without RBV, is effective and well tolerated for the treatment of post-LT HCV recurrence with severe fibrosis.

Multicentre emergency department study found that paracetamol and ibuprofen were inappropriately used in 83% and 63% of paediatric cases.

AIM: The Pain Practice in Italian Paediatric Emergency Departments assessed how appropriately analgesic drugs were being used by Italian clinicians, based on national paediatric pain guidelines. METHODS: This was a retrospective study that involved 17 Italian members of the Pain In Pediatric Emergency Rooms group. It comprised patients up to the age of 14 years who came to hospital emergency departments with pain and were treated with paracetamol, ibuprofen or opioids, such as codeine, tramadol and morphine. RESULTS: We studied 1471 patients who were given 1593 doses of analgesics. The median time to administration of analgesia was 25 minutes. Opioids were used in 13.5% of the children, and usage increased with age and with more severe clinical conditions, such as trauma: 1.6% of children under two years, 5.9% aged 3-10 and 8.0% aged 11-14. Inappropriate doses of paracetamol, ibuprofen and opioids were used in 83%, 63% and 33% of cases, respectively. The patient's age was a critical determinant of the correct analgesic dosage; for every one-year increase in the patient's age, the probability of appropriate prescriptions rose 14.8%. CONCLUSION: The appropriate use of paracetamol and ibuprofen for paediatric pain in Italian emergency departments was very poor, but improved with age.

Acute pain management: acetaminophen and ibuprofen are often under-dosed.

Most children with pain are managed by either acetaminophen or ibuprofen. However, no study has so far investigated if children are prescribed adequate doses of acetaminophen or ibuprofen in emergency department. Aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the prevalence of under-dosage of these drugs in children presenting with pain in emergency department. Children initially prescribed with acetaminophen or ibuprofen for pain management were included. The χ 2 automatic interaction detection method was used considering the percentage variation from the minimum of the appropriate dose as dependent variable while prescribed drug, age, gender, body weight, type of hospital (pediatric or general), and availability of internal guidelines on pediatric pain management in the emergency department as independent variables. Data on 1471 children managed for pain were available. Under-dosage was prescribed in 893 subjects (61%), of whom 577 were prescribed acetaminophen and 316 ibuprofen. The use of acetaminophen suppositories, body weight <12 kg or >40 kg, and the use of oral ibuprofen identified clusters of children associated with under-dosage prescription. CONCLUSION: Prescription of acetaminophen and ibuprofen was frequently under-dosed. The use of suppositories, lower and higher body weight, and the use of ibuprofen were associated with under-dosage. Under-dosing may reflect prescription of anti-pyretic doses. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco-Observational Study Register (RSO). Registration code: PIERRE/1 What is Known: • Pain is frequent in children presented to emergency department. • International recommendations on pain management are often not implemented. What is New: • Acetaminophen and ibuprofen were frequently underdosed in children prescribed for pain in the Italian emergency departments. • Under-dosage may be related to the habit of using acetaminophen and ibuprofen in the recommended range for fever treatment.

Early effects predict trajectories of response to esketamine in treatment-resistant depression.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of esketamine in treatment-resistant depression (TRD) has been confirmed. However, its administration is expensive and restrictive, with limited knowledge on how long the treatment should be continued. Predicting the treatment outcome would benefit patients and alleviate the global treatment cost. We aimed to define distinct trajectories of treatment response and assess their predictability. METHODS: In this longitudinal study, two independent samples of patients with unipolar or bipolar TRD were treated with esketamine in real-world settings. Depression severity was assessed using the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) before each esketamine administration. Latent class analyses were used to define trajectories of response. RESULTS: In the original sample (N = 50), we identified two classes whose trajectories depicted response and non-response, respectively. The model was validated in the confirmatory sample (N = 55). Class membership was influenced by a few baseline characteristics such as concomitant benzodiazepine medication, number of depressive episodes or polarity. On the other hand, after only two esketamine administrations, the MADRS score predicted the 90-day trajectory of response with an accuracy of 80 %. LIMITATIONS: This observational study is not placebo-controlled. Therefore, its results and their generalizability need to be confirmed in experimental settings. CONCLUSIONS: After the first administrations of esketamine, the MADRS score has a good capacity to predict the most plausible trajectory of response. While thresholds and their predictive values need to be confirmed, this finding suggests that clinicians could base on MADRS scores their decision to discontinue treatment because of poor remaining chances of treatment response.

Intravenous immunoglobulins in patients with COVID-19-associated moderate-to-severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ICAR): multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial.

BACKGROUND: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a major complication of COVID-19 and is associated with high mortality and morbidity. We aimed to assess whether intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) could improve outcomes by reducing inflammation-mediated lung injury. METHODS: In this multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, done at 43 centres in France, we randomly assigned patients (1:1) receiving invasive mechanical ventilation for up to 72 h with PCR confirmed COVID-19 and associated moderate-to-severe ARDS to receive either IVIG (2 g/kg over 4 days) or placebo. Random assignment was done with a web-based system and was stratified according to the participating centre and the duration of invasive mechanical ventilation before inclusion in the trial (<12 h, 12-24 h, and >24-72 h), and treatment was administered within the first 96 h of invasive mechanical ventilation. To minimise the risk of adverse events, the IVIG administration was divided into four perfusions of 0·5 g/kg each administered over at least 8 hours. Patients in the placebo group received an equivalent volume of sodium chloride 0·9% (10 mL/kg) over the same period. The primary outcome was the number of ventilation-free days by day 28, assessed according to the intention-to-treat principle. This trial was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04350580. FINDINGS: Between April 3, and October 20, 2020, 146 patients (43 [29%] women) were eligible for inclusion and randomly assigned: 69 (47%) patients to the IVIG group and 77 (53%) to the placebo group. The intention-to-treat analysis showed no statistical difference in the median number of ventilation-free days at day 28 between the IVIG group (0·0 [IQR 0·0-8·0]) and the placebo group (0·0 [0·0-6·0]; difference estimate 0·0 [0·0-0·0]; p=0·21). Serious adverse events were more frequent in the IVIG group (78 events in 22 [32%] patients) than in the placebo group (47 events in 15 [20%] patients; p=0·089). INTERPRETATION: In patients with COVID-19 who received invasive mechanical ventilation for moderate-to-severe ARDS, IVIG did not improve clinical outcomes at day 28 and tended to be associated with an increased frequency of serious adverse events, although not significant. The effect of IVIGs on earlier disease stages of COVID-19 should be assessed in future trials. FUNDING: Programme Hospitalier de Recherche Clinique.

Meningioangiomatosis: Multimodal Analysis and Insights From a Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Meningioangiomatosis is a poorly studied, rare, benign, and epileptogenic brain lesion. OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate that surgical resection and a short-time interval to surgery improves epileptic seizure control, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of meningioangiomatosis cases. METHODS: Using PRISMA-IPD guidelines, the authors performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of histopathologically-proven meningioangiomatosis cases. Literature search in French and English languages (PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and the Science Citation Index) including all studies (January 1981 to June 2020) dealing with histopathologically-proven meningioangiomatosis, without age restriction. We assessed clinical, imaging, histomolecular, management, and outcome findings of patients with meningioangiomatosis. RESULTS: Two-hundred and seven cases of meningioangiomatosis from 78 studies were included. Most meningioangiomatosis was sporadic, preferentially concerned male patients, younger than 20 years old, and allowed a functionally independent status. Epileptic seizure was the main symptom, with 81.4% of patients having uncontrolled seizures at the time of surgery. Meningioangiomatosis mainly had frontal (32.3%) or temporal (30.7%) locations. Imaging presentation was heterogeneous, and the diagnosis was often missed preoperatively. The histopathologic pattern was similar whatever the clinical presentation, and immunohistochemistry had limited diagnostic value. On molecular analysis, allelic loss at 22q12 was more frequent in samples of meningioangiomatosis-associated meningioma (37.5%) than in isolated meningioangiomatosis (23.1%). Time interval from diagnosis to surgery (p = 0.011) and lack of surgical resection of the meningioangiomatosis (p = 0.009) were independent predictors of postoperative seizure control. CONCLUSIONS: Owing to low scientific evidence, a multicentric prospective study should help refining the management of meningioangiomatosis.

Etiology of intracerebral hemorrhage in children: cohort study, systematic review, and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Understanding the etiological spectrum of nontraumatic pediatric intracerebral hemorrhage (pICH) is key to the diagnostic workup and care pathway. The authors aimed to evaluate the etiological spectrum of diseases underlying pICH. METHODS: Children treated at the authors' institution for a pICH were included in an inception cohort initiated in 2008 and retrospectively inclusive to 2000, which was analyzed in October 2019. They then conducted a systematic review of relevant articles in PubMed published between 1990 and 2019, identifying cohorts with pICH. Identified populations and patients from the authors' cohort were pooled in a multicategory meta-analysis. RESULTS: A total of 243 children with pICH were analyzed in the cohort study. The final primary diagnosis was an intracranial vascular lesion in 190 patients (78.2%), a complication of a cardiac disease in 17 (7.0%), and a coagulation disorder in 14 (5.8%). Hematological and cardiological etiologies were disproportionately more frequent in children younger than 2 years (p < 0.001). The systematic review identified 1309 children in 23 relevant records pooled in the meta-analysis. Overall, there was significant heterogeneity. The dominant etiology was vascular lesion, with an aggregate prevalence of 0.59 (95% CI 0.45-0.64; p < 0.001, Q = 302.8, I2 = 92%). In 18 studies reporting a detailed etiological spectrum, arteriovenous malformation was the dominant etiology (68.3% [95% CI 64.2%-70.9%] of all vascular causes), followed by cavernoma (15.7% [95% CI 13.0%-18.2%]). CONCLUSIONS: The most frequent etiology of pICH is brain arteriovenous malformation. The probability of an underlying vascular etiology increases with age, and, conversely, hematological and cardiac causes are dominant causes in children younger than 2 years.

Should All Patients With HR-Positive HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer Receive CDK 4/6 Inhibitor As First-Line Based Therapy? A Network Meta-Analysis of Data from the PALOMA 2, MONALEESA 2, MONALEESA 7, MONARCH 3, FALCON, SWOG and FACT Trials.

Background: We aim to understand whether all patients with hormonal receptor (HR)-positive (+)/human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2)-negative (-) metastatic breast cancer (MBC) should receive cyclin D-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitor-based therapy as a first-line approach. METHODS: A network meta-analysis (NMA) using the Bayesian hierarchical arm-based model, which provides the estimates for various effect sizes, were computed. RESULTS: First-line treatment options in HR+/HER2- MBC, including CDK 4/6 inhibitors combined with aromatase inhibitors (AIs) or fulvestrant (F), showed a significantly longer progression-free survival (PFS) in comparison with AI monotherapy, with a total of 26% progression risk reduction. In the indirect comparison across the three classes of CDK 4/6 inhibitors and F endocrine-based therapies, the first strategy resulted in longer PFS, regardless of specific CDK 4/6 inhibitor (HR: 0.68; 95% CrI: 0.53-0.87 for palbociclib + AI, HR: 0.65; 95% CrI: 0.53-0.79 for ribociclib + AI, HR: 0.63; 95% CrI: 0.47-0.86 for abemaciclib + AI) and patient's characteristics. Longer PFS was also found in patients with bone-only and soft tissues limited disease treated with CDK 4/6 inhibitors. CONCLUSIONS: CDK 4/6 inhibitors have similar efficacy when associated with an AI in the first-line treatment of HR+ MBC, and are superior to either F or AI monotherapy, regardless of any other patients or tumor characteristics.

Daclatasvir-based regimens in HCV cirrhosis: experience from the Italian early access program.

We reported the efficacy and safety data for daclatasvir (DCV)-based all-oral antiviral therapy in patients treated in the Italian compassionate-use program. 275 patients were included (202 male-73.5%, mean age: 57.4 years, 62 HIV-coinfected, 94 with recurrence of hepatitis C post-OLT). Forty-nine patients (17.8%) had Child-Pugh B, Genotype(G) distribution was: G1a:72 patients (26.2%), G1b:137 (49.8%); G3:40 (14.5%) and G4:26 (9.5%). Patients received DCV with sofosbuvir(SOF) (n = 221, 129 with ribavirin(RBV) or with simeprevir (SMV) or asunaprevir (ASU) (n = 54, 19 with RBV) for up to 24 weeks. Logistic regression was used to identify baseline characteristics associated with sustained virological response at week 12 post-treatment (SVR12). Liver function changes between baseline and follow up were assessed in 228 patients. 240 patients achieved SVR12 (87.3%), post transplant and HIV co-infected patients were equally distributed among SVR and no SVR (35% vs 34.3%; p = 0.56 and 24.2% vs 11.4%, p = 0.13, respectively). SVR rate was significantly higher with the combination DCV + SOF compared with DCV + SIM or ASU (93.2% vs 63.0%, p < 0.0001). Bilirubin value (OR: 0.69, CI95%: 0.54-0.87, p = 0.002) and regimen containing SOF (OR: 9.99, CI95%: 4.09-24.40; p < 0.001) were independently related with SVR. Mean albumin and bilirubin values significantly improved between baseline and follow-up week 12. DCV-based antiviral therapy was well tolerated and resulted in a high SVR when combined with SOF either in pre-transplant and in OLT patients and in "difficult to treat" HCV genotypes. Regimens containing DCV in combination with NS3 protease inhibitors obtained suboptimal results.

Evaluation of the effectiveness and efficiency of the triage emergency department nursing protocol for the management of pain.

INTRODUCTION: Pain is a common symptom presented in the emergency department (ED) although it is often underestimated, poorly evaluated and treated. The application of a protocol for timely pain management ensured by the nurse can avoid the delays in the analgesic treatment and improve the patient's quality of waiting. AIMS: To check the effectiveness and efficiency of the protocol aimed at early pain management in triage, active in our ED. In particular, the response to analgesic treatment was evaluated 60 minutes after the administration and at discharge. Patient satisfaction was also evaluated using two anonymous questionnaires both at discharge and 48 hours later via telephone. METHODS: A single-center, observational study was conducted on a prospective cohort of patients (aged ≥4 years) with a pain symptom at admission in ED with no surgical picture. RESULTS: In the observation period (June 2015-May 2016), 382 patients were enrolled, and of these, 312 (84.8%) accepted pain therapy during triage stage in the ED. In 97.4% of the cases, orosoluble paracetamol 1000 mg was administered. In the re-evaluation done 60 minutes later, 65.9% of the patients showed a reduction of at least 2 points on Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), equal to a mean reduction of 2.24 points (95% CI: 2.03-2.45). The mean time of analgesia intake was equal to 5.9 minutes (95% CI: 3.8-8.1). In the re-evaluation done at discharge, 33.2% of the patients showed a reduction of NRS score >50%, leading to a mean reduction of 39% (95% CI: 35.3%-41.9%). The level of patient satisfaction was high with a mean value >9 points (maximum satisfaction =10). CONCLUSION: This protocol shows that optimal pain management was achieved by patients rapidly receiving an effective painkiller therapy at triage, leading to substantial patient satisfaction. In moderate pain, orosoluble paracetamol 1000 mg provided a reduction of NRS score by 2 points in 67.6% of the patients, confirming to be the analgesic of choice in ED.

Epidemiological burden estimates for pathologies with a nonconstant risk: an application to HCV in Italy according to age, Metavir score, and genotype: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Between western European countries, the hepatitis C virus (HCV) endemic is highest in Italy. The main objective of this paper is to estimate the endemic diffusion of hepatitis C at the national level and by geographical area, with an extrapolation at the regional level and by uniform cohorts of subjects (by sex and year of birth). The secondary objective is a stratification by gravity of the estimated statistical figures to provide an overview of possible targets of the new anti-HCV treatments.PubMed and the Cochrane Library were searched for relevant Italian populations studies regarding HCV prevalence. Random and fixed effect models were used for pooling data. To develop the epidemiological model, a meta-analysis of studies of Italian populations and the explicit consideration of the changes in the etiology of the disease in different cohorts (by year of birth) of population and the impact of effective treatments that have been introduced since the 1990s. A Markovian transition model, which is based on the distribution of HCV+ and HCV Ribonucleic Acid (RNA)+ subjects, provides a plausible assessment of the Italian situation. The Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology recommendations/statements were followed.In 2014, 1569,215 HCV+ subjects (95% credible interval [CrI]: 1202,630-2021,261) were estimated in Italy, with a 2.58% prevalence (95% CrI: 1.98%-3.33%). A total of 828,884 HCV RNA+ subjects (95% CrI: 615,892-1081,123), which is equal to a 1.36% prevalence (95% CrI: 1.01%-1.78%), is higher in southern Italy and the islands (1.9%) than in central-northern Italy (1.1%). The predominance of adult and elderly subjects, with an old or very old infection, inevitably entails a significant number of HCV RNA+ subjects in the advanced stages of the illness. According to our estimates, approximately 400,000 subjects have cirrhosis, decompensated cirrhosis, and hepatocarcinoma, with a median age of 70 years.The model aims to support policymakers to define action plans by providing an estimate of both the emerged infected population and nonemerged infected population by age, gender, gravity, genotype, and geographical area. In the future, the model may contribute to simulation of the costs and outcome of different action strategies that can be adopted by health authorities.