Université catholique de Louvain, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Department of Gastroenterology, 10, avenue Hippocrate, 1200 Brussels, Belgium.
Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2010 Mar;11(4):571-7. doi: 10.1517/14656560903468710.
The issue of age in cases of chronic hepatitis C (HCV) in the West is a major problem; the average age of patients with HCV is increasing and its prevalence increases with advancing age.
This review is devoted to the analysis of the limited number of clinical studies performed to treat HCV in elderly patients.
The importance of the age factor is outlined in nearly all the studies done in the field. Advanced age is associated with a lower sustained virologic response (SVR) rate. Moreover, in elderly patients, these studies also tend to suggest that, before initiating an antiviral treatment, the physician should not only take into account the classical parameters associated with SVR but also the presence of co-morbidities and life expectancy. TAKE-HOME MESSAGES: Antiviral therapy should be used in selected elderly HCV patients with advanced fibrosis and more studies are required in this population to better define the parameters associated with SVR. As age is an important factor in the success of antiviral therapy, starting antiviral treatment at a young age should be favored.
在西方慢性丙型肝炎（HCV）病例中年龄问题是一个主要问题；HCV 患者的平均年龄正在增加，并且其患病率随着年龄的增长而增加。
本文致力于分析为数有限的在老年患者中治疗 HCV 的临床研究。
几乎所有在该领域进行的研究都强调了年龄因素的重要性。高龄与较低的持续病毒学应答（SVR）率相关。此外，在老年患者中，这些研究还表明，在开始抗病毒治疗之前，医生不仅应考虑与 SVR 相关的经典参数，还应考虑合并症和预期寿命。
抗病毒治疗应在伴有晚期纤维化的老年 HCV 患者中使用，并且需要在该人群中进行更多的研究以更好地定义与 SVR 相关的参数。由于年龄是抗病毒治疗成功的重要因素，因此应提倡在年轻时开始抗病毒治疗。
