Safety and Efficacy of Direct-Acting Antivirals for Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C in Population Aged 60 Years and Older in Upper Egypt

Abstract

Abstract: Background: Egypt is the country of highest prevalence of chronic HCV infection. Elderly infected individuals are more liable than younger infected individuals to have increased course of infection, increased risk of disease progression, and consequently increased incidence of occurrence of advanced liver disease. Aims: The current study aimed to assess the safety and the efficacy of the treatment with direct acting antivirals based regimens in hepatitis C virus infected individuals aged ≥60 years. Setting: Unit of Hepatic Viruses Treatment, Qena university hospital, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt Patients and methods: three hundred elderly individuals with chronic hepatitis C virus infection, Child–Pugh grade A, were involved in this study, treated with DAAs for twelve weeks, either dual therapy or triple therapy(with addition of ribavirin), according to criteria of the national committee for chronic viral hepatitis. Results: The Overall CHC infected individuals mean age were 69.9 ± 5.3 years, 71.7% were male and 18.3% were females. The sustained virological response (SVR) rate at 12 weeks post-treatment was 96% (288/300). We discovered a statistically important association between virological failure and degree of fibrosis, rates of sustained virological response were 98.8% in patients with no liver cirrhosis and 84.5 % in patients with established liver cirrhosis, there were high important difference between cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic patients (P < 0.001). Conclusion: DAAs treatment reached 12weeks-sustained virological response in 96% of chronic hepatitis C virus-patient with high safety profile. Liver Cirrhosis has negative effect on 12weeks-SVR. Key Words: Direct-acting anti-virus, SVR, HCV.