|
| Individuals recommended for treatment |
| (i) Patients with persistently elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT)
levels |
| (ii) Patients with detectable HCV ribonucleic acid |
| (iii) Patients with a liver biopsy indicating either portal or bridging
fibrosis or at least moderate degrees of inflammation and necrosis |
| Individuals for whom treatment is unclear |
| (i)
Patients with compensated cirrhosis (without jaundice, ascites,
variceal hemorrhage, or encephalopathy)
|
| (ii) Patients with persistent ALT elevations but with less severe
histologic changes (i.e., no fibrosis and minimal necroinflammatory changes)
(In these patients, progression to cirrhosis is likely to be slow, if at all;
therefore, observation and serial measurements of ALT and liver biopsy every
3–5 years is an acceptable alternative to treatment with interferon) |
| (iii) Patients <18 years of age or >60 years of age (note that
interferon is not approved for patients younger than 18 years) |
| Individuals for whom treatment
is not recommended |
| (i)
Patients with persistently normal ALT values
|
| (ii) Patients with advanced cirrhosis who might be at risk for
decompensation with therapy |
| (iii) Patients who are drinking excessive amounts of alcohol or who are
injecting illegal drugs (treatment should be delayed until these behaviors
have been discontinued for ≥6 months)
|
| (iv) Persons with major depressive illness, cytopenias, hyperthyroidism,
renal transplantation, evidence of autoimmune disease, or who are pregnant |
|
