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Management of Cirrhotic Patients After Successful HCV Eradication

  • Liver (J Bajaj, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Opinion statement

Chronic hepatitis C (HCV) is a hepatotropic virus which, when untreated, can lead to progressive inflammation and fibrosis resulting in cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and decompensations related to end-stage liver disease. The relatively recent introduction of all oral, interferon-free, direct-acting antiviral medications against HCV has transformed the management of these patients. Previous treatment regimens were prolonged, poorly tolerated, and frequently did not result in cure. Current therapies achieve sustained viral response (SVR) in the vast majority of patients including those with decompensated liver disease; a previously challenging population to treat. These successes will result in significant numbers of cirrhotic patients requiring management after SVR. Although many complications of cirrhosis are improved in this setting, regular follow-up of HCC, esophageal varices, and other sequelae of cirrhosis will be necessary. This chapter will review the management of cirrhosis in HCV patients achieving cure.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Gastroenterology/Hepatology, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, 8901 Wisconsin Ave, Bethesda, MD, 20889, USA

    Ryan M. Kwok MD FACP

  2. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Liver Transplantation, 8700 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA

    Tram T. Tran MD

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Correspondence to Ryan M. Kwok MD FACP.

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Ryan M. Kwok declares no conflict of interest.

Tram T. Tran declares grants and personal fees from Gilead Sciences, BMS, AbbVie, Merck, and Janssen.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Kwok, R.M., Tran, T.T. Management of Cirrhotic Patients After Successful HCV Eradication. Curr Treat Options Gastro 15, 305–315 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11938-017-0134-2

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