title: [Efficacy of initial treatment with peginterferon alpha-2a versus peginterferon alpha-2b in combination with ribavirin in naive chronic hepatitis C patients living in Daejeon and Chungcheong Province in Korea: a comparative study].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Peginterferon alpha-2a or -2b is the standard treatment regimen in chronic hepatitis C. However, there have been few comparative studies of the efficacies of these two types of peginterferon. We evaluated their efficacies in combination with ribavirin as a initial treatment for chronic hepatitis C.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-seven patients were treated with peginterferon alpha-2a (180 microg/week, n=48) or peginterferon alpha-2b (1.5 microg/kg/week, n=49) plus ribavirin (800 mg/day for 24 weeks in genotype non-1 or 1,000-1,200 mg/day for 48 weeks in genotype 1). Virologic responses including the early virologic response (EVR), end-of-treatment response (ETR), sustained virologic response (SVR), and adverse effects were analyzed retrospectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The virologic response rates did not differ significantly between peginterferon alpha-2a and -2b: 89.6% and 89.7% for EVR, 79.2% and 79.5% for ETR, 72.9% and 73.5% for SVR, respectively. Analysis of the virologic responses according to genotype also revealed no significant differences in SVR between peginterferon alpha-2a and -2b (59.3% vs. 59.7% for genotype 1 and 90.5% vs. 83.3% for genotype non-1, respectively), or in adverse effects including flu-like symptom, rash, itching, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found no significant differences in therapeutic efficacies and adverse effects between the alpha-2a and -2b types of peginterferon as the initial treatment regimen in naive chronic hepatitis C patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Korea.
authors.forename: Jeong Il
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Seok Hyun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Byung Seok
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Heon Young
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Tae Hee
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Young Woo
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Hyang Ie
authors.initials: HIe
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: An Na
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Soon Woo
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Nam
authors.forename: Byeong Chool
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Hee Bok
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Chae
authors.forename: Seok Bae
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Il Han
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Ji Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Hong Su
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007723:Korea; D008875:Middle Aged; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D012254:Ribavirin; C417083:peginterferon alfa-2b; C100416:peginterferon alfa-2a