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Treatment of hepatitis C in patients who have decompensated cirrhosis

Gregory T Everson1

  • 1University of Colorado School of Medicine, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, 4200 East 9th Avenue, B-154 Denver, CO 80262, USA. greg.everson@uchsc.edu

Clinics in Liver Disease
|July 19, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection leads to millions of cirrhosis cases globally. This article reviews antiviral strategies for managing decompensated chronic hepatitis C before liver transplantation.

Area of Science:

  • Hepatology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Gastroenterology

Background:

  • 169.7 million global cases of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection reported by WHO in 1999.
  • Projected increase in U.S. chronic hepatitis C with cirrhosis from 212,500 to 375,000 by 2015.
  • Estimated 7.8 million current global cirrhosis cases due to HCV, rising to 13.8 million by 2015.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To discuss the current status of antiviral strategies.
  • To focus on treating patients with decompensated chronic hepatitis C.
  • To address management challenges before liver transplantation.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on antiviral therapies.
  • Analysis of epidemiological data on HCV and cirrhosis.
  • Discussion of clinical management guidelines.

Main Results:

  • HCV-related cirrhosis is a growing global health burden.
  • Antiviral treatment is crucial for managing decompensated disease.
  • Pre-transplantation management strategies are essential.

Conclusions:

  • Hepatitis C virus-associated cirrhosis presents a significant and ongoing challenge.
  • Effective antiviral therapies are key to managing patients with decompensated cirrhosis.
  • Specialized care is required for patients awaiting liver transplantation.

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