Curing hepatitis C virus (HCV) is associated with a reduction in portal vein pressure, or portal hypertension, which causes some of the most serious complications of liver cirrhosis, HIVandHepatitis.com reports. Publishing their findings in the Journal of Hepatology, researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of 104 people with hep C and portal hypertension, defined as having a hepatic venous gradient measurement (HPVG) of at least 6 millimeters of mercury (mmHg).

All participants received HPVG and liver stiffness testing before hep C treatment. One hundred people in the study were cured; of that group, 60 underwent additional HVPG and liver stiffness tests after finishing treatment and post-treatment follow-up to determine whether they were cured.

Curing hep C lowered portal pressure regardless of its initial severity. Those who started with 6 to 9 mmHg saw an average drop of 2.26 mmHg; those who started with 10 to 15 mmHg saw an average drop of 3.29; and those who started with at least 16 mmHg saw an average drop of 2.3.

Those who had Child-Pugh stage B liver disease were 90 percent less likely to experience a decrease in their HVPG compared with those with the milder Child-Pugh stage A liver disease.

To read the HIVandHepatitis article, click here.

To read the study abstract, click here.