Treatment of hepatitis C with peginterferon and ribavirin in a public health program.
OBJECTIVE
In hepatitis C treatment, literature is limited with regard to independent studies developed outside the context of clinical assays. To evaluate the sustained virological response to the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C genotype 1 in a public program in the south of Brazil.


METHODS
It is a mixed cohort, the data of all patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with peginterferon associated with ribavirin for 48 weeks were collected. If there was no early virological response on week 12 the treatment was discontinued. The significance level adopted in the statistical analysis was micro = 0.05.


RESULTS
The cohort was comprised of 323 individuals. The treatment was completed in 215 (66.6%) patients. With the intention to treat analysis, the sustained virological response was obtained in 114 (35.3%) patients. The factors predictive of the response were lower age (below 40 years) and minor fibrosis (< F3 according METAVIR score), as well as viral load less than 600,000 IU/ml and the absence of hepatitis C virus viremia on 12th week of treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
The sustained virological response in patients with chronic hepatitis C genotype 1 treated with peginterferon and ribavirin in a public health system did not reproduce the results obtained in the major clinical trials.
de Almeida
Paulo Roberto L
PR
Secretary of Health of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, PostGraduate Course in Hepatology, Fundação Faculdade Federal de Ciências Médicas de Porto Alegre, Hospital Nossa Senhora da Conceição. paulorlalmeida@terra.com.br
de Mattos
Angelo A
AA
Amaral
Karine M
KM
Feltrin
Alberi A
AA
Zamin
Pauline
P
Tovo
Cristiane V
CV
Picon
Paulo D
PD
D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001938:Brazil; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003153:Community Health Services; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D019562:Viral Load
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D012254:Ribavirin; C100416:peginterferon alfa-2a