Aim
Direct‐acting antivirals (DAAs) have dramatically changed the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. Their high efficacy helps in eradicating hepatitis C virus with few adverse events. Information on real‐world use of DAAs therapy in patients aged 75 years and older is inadequate.
Methods
The Japanese DAAs database was constructed in 2014 as a cooperative system between 18 prefectures. The medical reports filled in by doctors and anonymized at the local government office were collected. The patients' demographic features, viral factors, and treatment characteristics were compared among three groups stratified by age when therapy was initiated: Group A (<60 years old), Group B (60–74 years old), and Group C (≥75 years old).
Results
Out of the 22,454 patients whose age upon starting therapy could be identified, 24.8% (n = 5597) belonged to Group C, which was ten times the number in the Japanese Interferon Database. Female patients, advanced stages of liver fibrosis, and past history of hepatocellular carcinoma treatment were significantly higher in the older age groups (Group A < B < C), whereas sustained virologic response (SVR) rates were not different (91%–93%). In Group C, multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that predicting factors for virologic response varied among DAAs regimens. However, the completion of DAAs therapy commonly contributed to SVR, regardless of DAAs regimen.
Conclusions
DAAs therapy is associated with high SVR rates, even in the oldest age group, and therapy should not be withheld on the basis of old age.
A 62-year-old woman who was prescribed prednisolone and cyclosporine for uveitis developed right blepharoptosis, diplopia and hypesthesia of superficial sensation of the trigeminal nerve V1 domain. Preserved right visual acuity led to a diagnosis of superior orbital fissure syndrome. We could not find any abnormalities on computed tomography except for right maxillary sinusitis associated with calcification. No infectious agents were detected in the blood or cerebrospinal fluid. We concluded that maxillary aspergillus, which was proven histopathologically after surgery, caused superior orbital fissure syndrome through the ophthalmic veins. Surgical excision of the lesion and voriconazole administration resulted in complete remission. To the best of our knowledge, there have been no other reports of superior orbital fissure syndrome caused by maxillary aspergillus sinusitis. The calcified sinusitis suggested fungal infections, which allowed us to avoid using corticosteroids.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.