Extrahepatic manifestations of HCV: The role of direct acting antivirals

MARÍA LAURA POLO; NATALIA LAUFER

EXPERT REVIEW OF ANTI-INFECTIVE THERAPY

EXPERT REVIEWS

Año: 2017

1478-7210

Introduction: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) represents a major health concern, as nearly 3 million people becomenewly infected by this pathogen annually. The majority of infected individuals fail to clear the virus, andchronicity is established. Chronic HCV patients are at high risk for liver disease, ranging from mild fibrosis tocirrhosis and severe hepatocellular carcinoma. Over the last few years, the development of multiple directacting antivirals (DAA) have revolutionized the HCV infection treatment, demonstrating cure rates higher than90%, and showing less side effects than previous interferon-based regimens.Areas covered: Besides liver, HCV infection affects a variety of organs, therefore inducing diverse extrahepaticmanifestations. This review covers clinical, experimental, and epidemiological publications regarding systemicmanifestations of HCV, as well as recent studies focused on the effect of DAA in such conditions.Expert commentary: Though further research is needed; available data suggest that HCV eradication is oftenassociated with the improvement of extrahepatic symptoms. Therefore, the emergence of DAA would offer theopportunity to treat both HCV infection and its systemic manifestations, requiring shorter treatment durationand driving minor adverse effects.