Li DK, et al. - The researchers intended to determine the effect of proton pump inhibitors on the progression of liver disease in noncirrhotic patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Increasing proton pump inhibitor use was correlated with a dose-dependent risk of progression of the chronic liver disease to cirrhosis, as well as an increased risk of hepatic decompensation and hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with chronic HCV infection.