[Does antiviral therapy improve the clinical course of cirrhosis due to hepatitis C virus infection?].
Treatment of hepatitis C with pegylated interferon plus ribavirin achieves viral eradication rates of between 50 and 80%. A large number of patients with sustained viral response show fibrosis regression. However, patients without viral response also show improvement. Patients with compensated cirrhosis due to hepatitis C virus can also be successfully treated. In these patients, viral eradication is usually followed by fibrosis non-progression and a reduction of portal hypertension, which undoubtedly modifies the clinical course of the process. In patients without virological response, the ability of antiviral maintenance therapy to alter the natural history of the disease is not clear and three large multicenter studies are currently underway. Preliminary data indicate that patients with cirrhosis treated with interferon as maintenance therapy show less progression than those treated with colchicine.
Diago
Moisés
M
Servicio de Digestivo, Sección de Hepatología, Consorcio Hospital General Universitario, Valencia, Spain. mdiagom@meditex.es
D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000209:etiology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D006975:Hypertension, Portal / Q000209:etiology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology
D000998:Antiviral Agents