title: Efficacy and safety of interferon treatment in elderly patients with chronic hepatitis C in Japan: A retrospective study using the Japanese Interferon Database.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although interferon (IFN) treatment in elderly patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has increased with the aging Japanese population, few studies have examined the efficacy and safety of IFN treatment in this population. We investigated the efficacy and safety of IFN treatment in elderly patients with chronic HCV infection using the Japanese Interferon Database.
  
  
  METHODS
  Records of IFN treatment in 36 prefectures in Japan from December 2009 to April 2013 were examined. Patients with HCV infection who received IFN treatment were selected. We compared the sustained virological response (SVR) rate and the withdrawal from treatment proportion among elderly patients (≥75 years) with those among younger patients (<65 years, 65-74 years).
  
  
  RESULTS
  We identified 15 267 patients with chronic HCV infection as the study cohort from the database. Of these, 310 patients were elderly with a mean age of 76.7 ± 1.95 years (2.03%; men, 155; women, 155), and the majority (87%) were treated with pegylated IFN. Lower SVR rates (aged <64 years, 65.3%; aged 65-74 years, 49.6%; aged ≥75 years, 46.5%; P < 0.001) and higher withdrawal from treatment proportions (aged <64 years, 15.0%; aged 65-74 years, 21.5%; aged ≥75 years, 32.4%; P < 0.001) were observed with aging.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that elderly patients with chronic HCV infection taking IFN therapy achieved lower SVR rates and a higher withdrawal from treatment proportion than younger patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Study and Informatics, Center for Clinical Sciences, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Izumi
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.affiliation: Ohta Nishinouchi Hospital, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Takuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimbo
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics, Tokyo University of Science, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yohei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kawasaki
authors.affiliation: The Research Center for Hepatitis and Immunology, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mizokami
authors.affiliation: The Research Center for Hepatitis and Immunology, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Naohiko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Masaki
keywords: chronic hepatitis C virus infection; database; elderly; interferon