Treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C with normal liver enzymes.
OBJECTIVE
This is a controlled prospective study to evaluate the efficacy of induction combination therapy using alpha-interferon and ribavirin in patients with chronic hepatitis C and persistently normal liver enzymes.


METHODS
Forty-six patients with compensated liver disease tested positive for hepatitis C virus antibody between October 1998 and August 2000 at King Abdulaziz University Hospital and Al-Badriyah Towers, Jeddah Clinics, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Twelve patients had persistently normal liver enzymes for 6 months and 34 patients with abnormal liver enzymes (control). Patients were treated using induction combination therapy. Viral load response was measured using branched deoxyribonucleic acid signal amplification test.


RESULTS
Ten patients with normal liver enzymes (Group A) and 30 patients with abnormal liver enzymes (Group B) were included. End of treatment response in Group A was 90% as compared to 60% in group B; sustained virologic response in group A was 40% as compared to 43.3% in Group B.


CONCLUSIONS
Response rate to induction combination therapy with alpha-interferon and ribavirin in patients with normal liver enzymes was similar to that in those with increase liver enzymes.
Akbar
Hisham O
HO
Department of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019562:Viral Load
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012254:Ribavirin