Key clinical point: Successful interferon (IFN)-based therapy is associated with a lower risk for schizophrenia among patients with chronic hepatitis C, particularly in those younger than 45 years.

Major finding: Following anti-hepatitis C virus therapy, the sustained virological response (SVR) group showed significantly lower 10-year cumulative incidence of schizophrenia vs non-SVR group (0.04% vs. 0.14%; P = .036). SVR group had a significantly lower risk for schizophrenia vs non-SVR group (adjusted hazard ratio, 5.89; P = .0200). Among patients younger than 45 years, the non-SVR group had a significantly higher risk for schizophrenia vs SVR group (hazard ratio, 14.78; P = .02).

Study details: A real-world Taiwanese cohort (T-COACH) study of 12,723 patients with chronic hepatitis C who received IFN-based therapy (SVR = 9,690 and non-SVR = 3,033).

Disclosures: The study was supported by Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung Medical University Research Center, and Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.