COMMENTARY

HCV Treatment: Where We're At, Where We're Going

Rowen K. Zetterman, MD

December 11, 2013

Hepatitis C Today

Worldwide, 170-200 million people, including 3.2-5 million Americans, are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). Clinical outcomes of chronic HCV infection include chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and complications of cirrhosis or HCC that result in the need for orthotopic liver transplantation. After liver transplantation, recurrence of HCV infection in the new graft is virtually uniform and can result once again in end-stage liver disease in need of transplantation.

There are 6 major genotypes of HCV, with genotype 1 accounting for 70%-75% of HCV infections in the United States. Genotype 1a is responsible for two thirds and genotype 1b for one third of genotype 1 infections. In treatment studies to date, genotype 1b is less likely to develop viral drug resistance and therefore has a higher treatment cure rate than HCV genotype 1a. Response to treatment is also influenced by the patient's interleukin 28B (IL28B) polymorphism, which results in a greater response in patients with the IL28B CC genotype than in those with IL28B TT genotype.^[1]

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Cite this: Rowen K. Zetterman. HCV Treatment: Where We're At, Where We're Going - Medscape - Dec 11, 2013.

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