Recent data has suggested that interferon therapy may selectively reduce portal hypertension in patients with cirrhosis. In an abstract presented at the 2004 annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL), portal pressure declined significantly in patients with NR after 6 months of treatment with peginterferon and ribavirin. At the time portal pressure was measured in this study, a transjugular liver biopsy was also performed to assess the effects of treatment on hepatic histology. Despite a reduction in portal pressure, no reduction in hepatic fibrosis score was observed. This suggested that interferon may reduce portal pressure through a direct affect on the hepatic vasculature; and suggests that interferon may prevent complications of cirrhosis regardless of its effects on HCV RNA and hepatic inflammation. Since portal pressure is the primary factor responsible for complications of cirrhosis including variceal hemorrhage, ascites and hepatic encephalopathy, these preliminary results suggest that maintenance interferon therapy could possibly prevent these complications.