Severe fibrosis improves in most patients after hepatitis C cure but persists in a quarter

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Severe fibrosis improves in most patients after hepatitis C cure but persists in a quarter
Michael Carter
Published: 20 February 2018

Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related liver fibrosis improves significantly in the majority of patients with pre-treatment advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis after treatment resulting in a sustained virological response, Swedish investigators report in the Journal of Viral Hepatitis.

However, advanced fibrosis persisted in a quarter of patients and worsened in a small subset of patients, showing the need for regular monitoring after successful HCV therapy. Pre-treatment cirrhosis, older age and high body mass index were risk factors for the persistence of advanced cirrhosis.

“Our study shows that the vast majority of our 269 patients with pre-treatment advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis improved their fibrosis during long-term follow-up after SVR,” comment the researchers. “A minority, however, continued to have advanced fibrosis even after more than 5-10 years follow-up. In this subset of patients, a point of no return for advanced liver fibrosis might have been reached, where improvement is not possible.”

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