title: Limited Fibrosis Progression but Significant Mortality in Patients Ineligible for Interferon-Based Hepatitis C Therapy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Individuals ineligible for interferon-based hepatitis C therapy may have a worse prognosis than patients who have failed or not received treatment.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To provide information about the limitations of medical treatment of hepatitis C in real-world patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 969 treatment-ineligible patients and 403 treated patients enrolled between 1/1/01 and 6/30/06; data were collected until 3/31/13. Treatment barriers were grouped into five categories and classified as health-related or health-unrelated. Fibrosis stage was assessed initially and at the end of follow-up. Mortality was determined by search of the Social Security database. Death certificates of treatment-ineligible patients were reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Initially, 288 individuals had advanced fibrosis and compensated disease; 87 untreated patients developed advanced fibrosis during follow-up. Health-related treatment barriers were more commonly associated with fibrosis progression and worse survival. During follow-up, 247 untreated patients died: 47% of liver-related and 53% of liver-unrelated causes. Patients with significant comorbid illness had the worst five- (70%) and ten-year (50.5%) survival. Despite high mortality (47%) in persons with decompensated liver disease, no treatment barrier was associated with a greater incidence of liver-related death. Only significant comorbid medical illness was an independent predictor of disease progression; however, it was not associated with a greater incidence of liver-related death. Furthermore, treated patients had better 10-year survival than untreated patients on Kaplan-Meier analysis (80.3% vs. 74.5%, P = 0.005).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Many patients with hepatitis C will die of non-liver-related causes and may not be helped by anti-viral treatment.
authors: Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Montefiore Medical Center, The Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States.
authors: Manhal
authors: M
authors: Izzy
authors: Department of Urology, The Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, United States.
authors: Ghalib
authors: G
authors: Jibara
authors: Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Montefiore Medical Center, The Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States.
authors: Aws
authors: A
authors: Aljanabi
authors: Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Montefiore Medical Center, The Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States.
authors: Mustafa
authors: M
authors: Alani
authors: Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Montefiore Medical Center, The Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States.
authors: Emily
authors: E
authors: Giannattasio
authors: Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Montefiore Medical Center, The Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States.
authors: Hina
authors: H
authors: Zaidi
authors: Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Montefiore Medical Center, The Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States.
authors: Zaid
authors: Z
authors: Said
authors: Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Montefiore Medical Center, The Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States.
authors: Paul
authors: P
authors: Gaglio
authors: Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Montefiore Medical Center, The Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States.
authors: Allan
authors: A
authors: Wolkoff
authors: Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Montefiore Medical Center, The Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States.
authors: John F
authors: JF
authors: Reinus
keywords: AA, African-American; APRI, aspartate-aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index; DTB, dominant treatment barrier; HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma; HCV, hepatitis C virus; SVR, sustained virologic response; hepatitis C; liver fibrosis; mortality; progression; treatment barrier