• Mariana Sandoval Lourenço, Patricia Momoyo Y Zitelli, Marlone Cunha-Silva, Arthur Ivan N Oliveira, Roque Gabriel Rezende de Lima, Evandro de Oliveira Souza, Claudia P Oliveira, Tiago Sevá-Pereira, Flair J Carrilho, Mario G Pessoa, and Daniel F Mazo.
• Divisao de Gastroenterologia (Gastrocentro), Faculdade de Ciencias Medicas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, BR.
• Clinics (Sao Paulo). 2021 Jan 1; 76: e3186.

ObjectivesDespite higher rates of sustained virologic response (SVR), important concerns remain when patients with decompensated cirrhosis due to hepatitis C virus (HCV) are treated with direct-acting antiviral agents (DAA). Questions include efficacy, safety, and the magnitude of liver function improvement. Here, we aimed to evaluate HCV treatment data in this specific population in Brazil.MethodsWe included 85 patients with decompensated cirrhosis submitted to HCV therapy with DAA followed at two academic tertiary centers in the southeastern region of Brazil.ResultsSeventy-nine patients (92.9%) were Child-Pugh (CP) score B, and six (7.1%) were CP score C. The mean MELD score was 12.86. The most common treatment was sofosbuvir plus daclatasvir±ribavirin for 24 weeks. The overall intention-to-treat (ITT) SVR rate was 87.4% (74/85) and modified-ITT 96.1% (74/77). ITT SVR was associated with lower baseline INR values (p=0.029). Adverse events (AE) occurred in 57.9% (44/76) of patients. Serious AE were reported in 12.8% (10/78), and were related to the presence of hepatic encephalopathy (p=0.027). SVR was associated with improvement in CP (p<0.0001) and MELD scores (p=0.021). Among baseline CP score B patients with SVR, 46% (29/63) regressed to CP score A. Ascites was independently associated with no improvement in liver function in patients who achieved SVR (p=0.001; OR:39.285; 95% CI:4.301-258.832).ConclusionsPatients with decompensated HCV cirrhosis showed a high SVR rate with interferon-free therapy. Early liver function improvement occurred after successful HCV eradication. However, long-term follow-up of these patients after SVR remains strongly advised.

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