Current treatment options and response rates in children with chronic hepatitis C

Table 3 Indication for hepatitis C virus treatment in children-pros and cons

In favour of treatment	Deferral might be considered
High response rate, sustained viral response means cure of the disease	Before 3-4 years of age because of possible spontaneous viral elimination
Prevention of disease progression and social burden	Psychiatric disorder
Better tolerability and less side effects in younger patients (particularly before puberty)	Low response rate in subjects with genotype 1 and high viral load
More favourable factors for response in children (e.g., low viral load)	Pubertal growth spurt
Parents facilitate compliance	More effective treatments in future in genotype 1 non-responders