Sustained negativity for HCV-RNA over 24 or more months by long-term interferon therapy correlates with eradication of HCV in patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 1b and high viral load.
OBJECTIVE
We assessed whether sustained negativity for HCV-RNA over 24 or more months by long-term interferon (IFN) therapy correlates with eradication of HCV in patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 1b and high viral load or not.


METHODS
The number of patients with HCV-genotype 1b and high viral load exceeding 1 Meq/ml who received 6 MU of natural IFN-alpha daily for 2-8 weeks, followed by three times/week for 16-22 weeks and negativity for HCV-RNA during IFN administration was 403. Forty-one of 403 patients received 6 MU of natural IFN-alpha three times/week for more than 18 months after the initial IFN therapy (long-term-IFN-group). Three hundred and two patients did not receive any IFN treatment for 6 months after the termination of the 6-month course (6-month-IFN-group). Sustained virological response (SVR) was defined as negative HCV-RNA at both 3 and 6 months after the completion of IFN therapy.


RESULTS
SVR was noted in 73.2% (30/41) of long-term-IFN-group and 18.2% (55/302) of 6-month-IFN-group. Multivariate analysis showed that long-term IFN therapy was the most significant contributor to SVR (p < 0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
Sustained negativity of HCV-RNA for 24 or more months by long-term IFN therapy correlated with SVR in patients with genotype 1b and high viral load.
Arase
Yasuji
Y
Department of Gastroenterology, Toranomon Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. es9y-ars@asahi-net.or.jp
Suzuki
Fumitaka
F
Tsubota
Akihito
A
Suzuki
Yoshiyuki
Y
Saitoh
Satoshi
S
Kobayashi
Masahiro
M
Akuta
Norio
N
Someya
Takashi
T
Hosaka
Tetsuya
T
Kobayashi
Mariko
M
Sezaki
Hitomi
H
Ikeda
Kenji
K
Kumada
Hiromitsu
H
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D013997:Time Factors; D019562:Viral Load
D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral