Treatment of chronic hepatitis C in 2019

Abstract

HCV infection is a major cause of chronic liver disease in western countries, with approximately 71 million infected individuals worldwide. Most people are unaware of their infection. The infection may have an asymptomatic course, with the hepatic injury ranging from minimal liver fibrosis to hepatic cirrhosis, liver failure and hepatocellular carcinoma. The primary goal of HCV therapy is to cure the infection, i.e. to achieve sustained virological response, defined as undetectable HCV RNA 12 or 24 weeks after therapy completion. HCV eradication prevents the risk of hepatic as well as extrahepatic complications of HCV infection. The new, all-oral, direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) represent a revolution in HCV therapy thanks to their high, nearly 100% efficacy without adverse reactions and short treatment duration (8 or 12 weeks).