title: Treatment of chronic hepatitis C with interferon alone or combined with ribavirin in Japan.
abstract: We treated 665 patients with chronic hepatitis C with interferon (IFN) monotherapy and 288 with combined IFN and ribavirin. At the baseline, age (53.8 +/- 11.1 vs. 49.7 +/- 10.5 years, p < 0.0001) and activity (p = 0.0207) as well as fibrosis (p = 0.0270) were higher in patients who received combination therapy than in those receiving monotherapy. Compliance to treatment (64.2 vs. 62.1%, p < 0.0001) and discontinuation were more frequent (18.1 vs. 14.5%, p < 0.0001) in patients with combination therapy than in those with monotherapy. Patients with combination therapy with genotype 2 infection achieved sustained viral response (SVR) at a rate of 77.0%, regardless of viral loads, in contrast to those with genotype 1 infection, of whom only 24.4% gained SVR. Of patients with combination therapy, reduction (42.6 vs. 29.0%, p = 0.0453) and discontinuation (34.0 vs. 21.6%, p = 0.0414) of ribavirin were more frequently required in the 47 patients > or =65 years than in the 241 patients <65 years. Although a trend for higher SVR to combination therapy was observed in patients aged < 65 than in those aged > or =65 years (39.4 vs. 25.2%), the difference was not significant (p = 0.0819). In patients with genotype 1 infection, IFN monotherapy in addition to the 24-week combination therapy increased the SVR rate (18.3 vs. 42.6%, p = 0.0003). A decrease in SVR was observed with an increased body mass index in patients who received combination therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Ogaki Municipal Hospital, 4-86 Minaminokawa, Ogaki, Gifu 503-8502, Japan. hosp3@omh.ogaki.gifu.jp
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kumada
authors.forename: Hidenori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Toyoda
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Honda
authors.forename: Teiji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuzuya
authors.forename: Yosiaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Katano
authors.forename: Isao
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.forename: Hidemi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Goto
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D010349:Patient Compliance; D012367:RNA, Viral; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013045:Species Specificity; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016312:Treatment Refusal
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D007370:Interferon Type I; D012367:RNA, Viral; D012254:Ribavirin