EFFECT OF SOFOSBUVIR BASED ANTIVIRAL TREATMENT FOR ERADICATION OF HEPATITIS C VIRUS ON CLINICAL AND LABORATORY PARAMETERS OF HCV CIRRHOSIS PATIENTS.

HCV infects nearly 10 million patients in Pakistan, genotype 3 is the predominant genotype. Liver transplant used to be the only option in patients with decompensated cirrhosis before the emerging role of DAAs. Clinical trials have suggested that successful treatment of HCV in this group results in early improvement in liver function although long term benefit is not yet known. Objectives: To measure clinical and laboratory parameter improvement after successful eradication of hepatitis C in cirrhotics. To study any events of decompensation while on treatment. To measure incidence of HCC on/after treatment. Study Design: A retrospective, observational study. Setting: Fatima Memorial Hospital, Lahore. Period: July 2015-April 2017. Material & Methods: We included patients with compensated and decompensated cirrhosis with a CTP score ranging from A5 to C12, treated with sofosbuvir and ribavirin or pegylated interferon sofosbuvir and ribavirin. Data analyzed at the initiation, at the end, 12 weeks and 24 weeks post treatment. Results: A total of 191 (98 male and 93 female) patients were included in our study. There was statistically significant improvement in albumin, bilirubin, AFP, platelet count, CTP and MELD scores but not in INR. One patient developed ascites and another developed hepatic encephalopathy. Four patients developed HCC during follow up after completion of antiviral therapy. Conclusions: 1) Successful treatment of cirrhotic patients leads to improvement in clinical and laboratory parameters. 2) Need for continued surveillance for HCC in patients with cirrhosis remains after successful antiviral treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]