Author information
1
Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94122, USA.
2
Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94122, USA; Medical Service, Department of Veteran Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, CA 94121, USA. Electronic address: phyllis.tien@ucsf.edu.
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the most common blood-borne infection in the United States and is of concern in older adults. HCV infection is associated with not only hepatic but also extrahepatic comorbidities common to the aging patient including diabetes, kidney and cardiovascular diseases, and neurocognitive impairment. The effect of direct-acting antiviral agents to treat HCV on these outcomes is limited. This article summarizes the literature regarding the epidemiology and natural history of HCV infection; the impact of age on clinical outcomes in HCV-infected persons; and current knowledge regarding safety and efficacy of HCV treatment regimens in the older patient.