Indications and limitations for aged patients with chronic hepatitis C in pegylated interferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin combination therapy

• Published in: Journal of hepatology 2011-04, Vol.54 (4), p.604-611
• Main Authors: Oze, Tsugiko, Hiramatsu, Naoki, Yakushijin, Takayuki, Mochizuki, Kiyoshi, Oshita, Masahide, Hagiwara, Hideki, Mita, Eiji, Ito, Toshifumi, Fukui, Hiroyuki, Inui, Yoshiaki, Hijioka, Taizo, Inada, Masami, Kaytayama, Kazuhiro, Tamura, Shinji, Yoshihara, Harumasa, Inoue, Atsuo, Imai, Yasuharu, Kato, Michio, Miyagi, Takuya, Yoshida, Yuichi, Tatsumi, Tomohide, Kiso, Shinichi, Kanto, Tatsuya, Kasahara, Akinori, Takehara, Tetsuo, Hayashi, Norio
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Age Factors; Aged; Aged patients; Antibiotics. Antiinfectious agents. Antiparasitic agents; Antiviral agents; Antiviral Agents - administration & dosage; Antiviral Agents - adverse effects; Biological and medical sciences; Chronic hepatitis C; Cohort Studies; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Gastroenterology and Hepatology; Gastroenterology. Liver. Pancreas. Abdomen; Genotype; Hepacivirus - classification; Hepacivirus - genetics; Hepatitis C, Chronic - drug therapy; Hepatitis C, Chronic - virology; Human viral diseases; Humans; Infectious diseases; Interferon-alpha - administration & dosage; Interferon-alpha - adverse effects; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Pegylated interferon plus ribavirin therapy; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Polyethylene Glycols - administration & dosage; Polyethylene Glycols - adverse effects; Recombinant Proteins; Retrospective Studies; Ribavirin - administration & dosage; Ribavirin - adverse effects; RNA, Viral - blood; Treatment Outcome; Viral diseases; Viral hepatitis
• ISSN: 0168-8278; 1600-0641
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2010.07.043

Background & Aims This study investigated the efficacy and adverse effects of pegylated interferon (Peg-IFN) plus ribavirin therapy in aged patients with chronic hepatitis C (CH-C). Methods A total of 1040 naïve patients with CH-C (genotype 1, n = 759; genotype 2, n = 281), of whom 240 (23%) over 65 years old (y.o.), were treated with Peg-IFN alfa-2b plus ribavirin and assessed after being classified into five categories, according to age. Results The discontinuance rate was higher for patients over 70 y.o. (36%), the most common reason being anemia. In the presence of genotype 1, the SVR rate was similar (42–46%) among patients under 65 y.o. and declined (26–29%) among patients over 65 y.o. For patients over 65 y.o., being male (Odds ratio, OR, 3.5, p = 0.035) and EVR (OR, 83.3, p