End of treatment response in chronic hepatitis C patients treated with interferon alpha and ribavirin

ABSTRACT

We conducted a study at Combined Military Hospital [CMH], Sialkot, from August 2010 to February 2011 with the objective to determine the frequency of early and end of treatment virological response in patients with chronic hepatitis C infection treated with IFN-alpha / ribavirin therapy. HCV RNA PCR positive adult patients of either gender were included in the study. A total of 123 patients [56 males and 67 females] were given alpha-interferon ribavirin for 24 weeks. At 12 weeks post-treatment, 82 patients out of 123 [EVR 66.6%] had negative HCV RNA PCR while 85 patients out of 123 were HCV PCR negative at 24 weeks [ETR 69.1%]. Conventional alpha-interferon ribavirin therapy should discontinued in patients who are non responders at 12 weeks of treatment and be offered pegylated interferon to save time, money and minimize the side effects