Search | Search by Center | Search by Source | Keywords in Title
Francis AK, Beaudoin FL, Naidjate SS, Berard-Collins C, Zullo AR. Comparing Treatment Response Between Older and Younger Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection on Direct-acting Antiviral Agents. Rhode Island medical journal (2013). 2020 Jun 1; 103(5):35-40.
OBJECTIVE: To compare sustained virologic response 12 weeks post-treatment completion (SVR12) and patient characteristics for older versus younger patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) receiving direct-acting antiviral (DAA) agent therapy. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included patients with chronic HCV who received DAA therapy, between 2015 and 2018, in the largest health system in Rhode Island (N = 154). Patient characteristics, comorbid diagnoses, and SVR12 status were compared between older (aged = 60 years) and younger ( < 60 years) adults using chi-squared tests. RESULTS: Overall, 94.1% (95% CI: 90.4-97.8) achieved SVR12; response rates were 91.8% (95% CI: 84.9-98.6) for older adults and 95.6% (95% CI: 91.5-99.8) for younger adults (p = 0.51). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings refute the historical notion that older adults were a "difficult-to-treat" subpopulation for whom clinicians should expect less treatment success. This is no longer the case with DAA therapy.