Efficacy of human leukocyte interferon-alpha treatment in elderly patients with hepatitis-C virus-related chronic liver disease.

Sixty-seven aged patients (mean age 69, age range 67-73 years) with hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related chronic liver disease were treated with human leukocyte interferon-alpha at a dose of 9 mU/week for 9 months and then followed up for other 6 months. At the end of treatment, 39 patients (58.2%) showed normalization of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels; however, 24 responders (61.5%) had a relapse of the disease in the following 6 months. Fifteen out of 39 responders (38.5%) had a sustained response. Of these, 9 (60%) showed clearance of HCV-RNA from serum. Similar rates were observed in a group of younger patients (mean age 48, age range 17-58 years) treated with the same schedule. In both groups, the most important predictor of response appeared to be the degree of fibrosis at liver histology, rather than the patients' age. These data suggest that interferon-alpha treatment may be as much useful in elderly patients as it may be in younger patients, provided that liver injury is not advanced too much.