Maximum age for HCV treatment

[takgot]

I want to know that upto what age HCV treatment is effective. if the age is above sixty years what is the result of treatment. If the result of PCR Quantitative value is 4344000iu\ml and 868800 copies/ml. what is the level of disease and how it be treated.

[mikesimon]

"...previous studies have shown that HCV treatment generally was well tolerated by the elderly and there was little or no significant difference in SVR as well as therapy discontinuation rates secondary to adverse effects compared with younger age groups."

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/588008

[babs824]

i was 64 when i started and dont think my sx are any different than youngsters experience. i do however think that i might have been less fatigued at a younger age but this is pure speculation. i have a 24 week treatment and am hoping for success as all tests to date point in that direction. i was in good shape altho quite thin at the start. babs

[Willy50]

I believe Andiamo may have treated with stage 3 or 4 damage.

He was in a 48 week trial; 48 weeks of SOC and if memory serves.... the first 24 weeks also contained Telaprevir.  Few people have done 24 weeks of TVR.

Everybody is different and has different sides.  I know some younger geno 2's with lower dosing that had difficulty doing 24 weeks.  Other people like Bill did long periods and high doses.  It is difficult to know how anyone will respond to TX, without regard to age.

Willy

[Mary4now]

Hi, I'm 61, I think I contracted this approx 40 yrs ago, my geno is 1, my liver damage is grade 1/ stage 1
I am now enrolled in a study and the cut off age is 70.  The drugs seem to be getting better at results and less side effects..... Science is good.


get all your tests and see where you stand.
best of luck,
dont worry, take care of yourself.
Mary

[mikesimon]

Here is an excerpt from:

Hepatitis C in the Elderly: Epidemiology, Natural History, and Treatment
  
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/588008


"....Conclusions

Elderly patients with chronic HCV infection have been an understudied population owing to several factors. These factors include exclusion of subjects older than 65 years of age in several clinical trials, reluctance to treat HCV infection in the elderly because of fear of dealing with more HCV therapy-related adverse effects, comorbidities and risk factors of aging such as decreased glomerular filtration rate that might cause more severe hemolytic anemia with ribavirin, and interactions of interferon and ribavirin with several potential geriatric drugs.[34-37] Despite these challenges, previous studies have shown that HCV treatment generally was well tolerated by the elderly and there was little or no significant difference in SVR as well as therapy discontinuation rates secondary to adverse effects compared with younger age groups. However, there is a need for prospective randomized controlled trials to be conducted in HCV patients older than 65 years of age to better evaluate the safety and efficacy of HCV treatment in this age group. In addition, more epidemiologic studies are needed to better assess the prevalence as well as the risk factors of chronic HCV infection in elderly subjects."

You must register at medscape.com to view but it's free and easy to register and worth the time.

Mike

[Diane12855]

I agree with Carol. You need to know how much damage your liver has sustained and which genotype you have. After 50 the virus tends to increase the damage it does so you don't need to put things off any longer.

Diane

[carol411]

Many people over 60 have treated successfully.  But there are many factors involved.  What is your genotype?  How is your health in general?  Are you overweight?  The best way to find out the level of disease is to have a liver biopsy.  The amount of virus in your blood varies from day to day and isn't really meaningful until you start treatment, then you want to see it drop fast.  A biopsy tells you the amount of damage to your liver and that knowledge will help you decide whether you need to start treatment soon.

Carol