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The infection with hepatitis C virus has drawn attention to researchers from 1970. Nowadays, hepatitis C virus infection is a global public health issue, affecting approximately 3% of the global population. Experimental models provided vital data on the understanding of viral replication. Chronic infection with hepatitis C virus is generally a progressive lent disease characterized by the persistence of inflammation in the liver and correlated with the cirrhosis in about 20% of patients after 20-30 years of infection. Hepatitis C virus is still a public health threat, but progress in monitoring and treatment of infected patients is truly noticeable and has remarkably improved the prospects for this disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Era antiviralelor cu acţiune directă a schimbat complet tabloul infecţiei cronice cu virusul hepatitei C. Ratele de răspuns virusologic susţinut au depăşit procentul de 90%, dar au apărut alte provocări: persistenţa bolii hepatice, complicaţiile pe termen lung, monitorizarea după vindecare. Noile tratamente au adus avantajul posibilităţii tratării unui număr mai mare de pacienţi (pacienţii cirotici, inclusiv cei cu boală decompensată, cei coinfectaţi HCV-HIV şi cei cu boală renală cronică dializaţi). Experienţa utilizării noilor tratamente este încă scurtă, dar există unele recomandări generale în ceea ce priveşte supravegherea pe termen lung. Acest review îşi propune să discute atât monitorizarea, cât şi evoluţia clinică a acestor pacienţi după obţinerea RVS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The era of oral direct antivirals has completely changed the picture of chronic hepatitis C. The rates of sustained virological response overpassed the 90% percentage, but new challenges are coming: the persisting liver disease, the complications on long term, the follow up. The new treatment came with the advantage of increased number of patients that can be treated (cirrhotic patients including the ones with advanced disease, the co-infected patients HCV-HIV, the patients with end stage renal disease). The experience with these drugs is relatively short, but there are some general recommendations for the post-treatment surveillance. This review discusses the recommended follow-up and the clinical findings in patients, after obtaining SVR (sustained virological response). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims. Malnutrition is common in patients with chronic liver disease. We aimed to evaluate malnutrition assessment tools in predicting severity and survival of patients with liver cirrhosis. Material and Methods. We examined patients with liver cirrhosis. Nutritional evaluation was performed on admission, using subjective global assessment (SGA), handgrip strength (HGS), and anthropometry. Patients were followed up for 6 months. Results. We included 100 patients, 72 men, with mean age of 59.2 years. According to disease severity, patients were 23% Child-Pugh A, 46% Child-Pugh B, and 31% Child-Pugh C. SGA and HGS significantly correlated with Child-Pugh, MELD, and MELD-Na scores on admission. At 6 months follow-up, 80.4% (78 of 97) of patients survived, while 3 patients were lost from observation. Survival was predicted by SGA (1 death in 32 patients SGA A, 8 deaths in 46 patients SGA B, and 9 deaths in 19 patients SGA C, p=0.001) and HGS (25.1 ± 8.5 in deceased versus 30.6 ± 10.9 in survivors, p=0.046). The mean BMI and MAMC values did not significantly differ between patients who survived or were deceased at 6 months. Conclusion. HGS and SGA may predict severity and short-term survival in cirrhotic patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]