Mindikoglu Ayse L, Miller Ram R
Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201-1595, USA.
Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2009 Feb;7(2):128-34; quiz 124. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2008.07.017. Epub 2008 Dec 12.
Hepatitis C continues to be a major public health problem affecting approximately 3% of the global population. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 170 million people have chronic hepatitis C. Ten percent to 20% of those who are chronically infected with hepatitis C will progress to cirrhosis and 5% will develop hepatocellular carcinoma. Although the safety and efficacy of hepatitis C therapies have been studied extensively in patients between the ages of 18 and 65, patients who are older than 65 still remain an understudied and difficult-to-treat population. This review discusses the epidemiology, natural history, and treatment of chronic hepatitis C in older adults.
丙型肝炎仍然是一个重大的公共卫生问题，影响着全球约3%的人口。据世界卫生组织估计，有1.7亿人患有慢性丙型肝炎。慢性丙型肝炎感染者中有10%至20%会发展为肝硬化，5%会发展为肝细胞癌。尽管丙型肝炎治疗方法的安全性和有效性已在18至65岁的患者中进行了广泛研究，但65岁以上的患者仍然是研究不足且难以治疗的人群。本综述讨论了老年人慢性丙型肝炎的流行病学、自然史和治疗方法。
