128
Views
16
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Article

Pegylated interferon and ribavirin combination therapy for chronic hepatitis C virus infection in patients with Child-Pugh Class A liver cirrhosis

, , , , , , , , & , PhD , MD show all
Pages 1378-1386 | Received 17 Mar 2008, Published online: 08 Jul 2009
 

Abstract

Objective. Pegylated interferon (peg-IFN) and ribavirin (RBV) treatment is less effective in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and liver cirrhosis than in non-cirrhotic patients. Many patients with advanced liver disease have been excluded from the pivotal randomized controlled studies. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and tolerability of combination therapy in unselected patients with Child-Pugh Class A liver cirrhosis at a Swedish university clinic. Material and methods. The virologic response and adverse events were retrospectively analyzed in 104 patients with HCV-associated Child-Pugh Class A liver cirrhosis who had been treated with peg-IFN and RBV. Results. Overall sustained virologic response (SVR) was achieved in 13% genotype 1-, 60% genotype 2-, and 31% genotype 3-infected patients. In treatment-naïve patients, the corresponding rates were 13%, 82%, and 38%, respectively. In 46% of patients, treatment was discontinued prematurely owing to lack of virologic response in the majority. Conclusions. SVR rates found in our study, in particular for genotype 1 patients (13%), were lower than those generally found in randomized controlled studies. For cirrhotic patients, new treatment alternatives are urgently needed to improve treatment outcome.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.