Treatment of pediatric patients with Down syndrome, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and hepatitis C infection by direct-acting antivirals

Abstract

Millions of people worldwide suffer from hepatitis C, which can lead to hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The risk of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is increased in patients with leukemia due to the frequent need for blood transfusion. Owing to their proven effectiveness in treating HCV infection, direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) have become a new treatment approach in children older than 12 years. The patient present in this article is a 9-year-old boy who had acute lymphoblastic leukemia and Down syndrome, who was diagnosed with hepatitis C infection and was successfully treated with a combination of DAA glecaprevir (250 mg/day) and pibrentasvir (100 mg/day) over 8 weeks.

Keywords

• direct-acting antiviral
• down syndrome
• hepatitis c infection
• children