title: Risk factors for relapse in chronic hepatitis C patients who have achieved end of treatment response.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Some patients with chronic hepatitis C experience virologic relapse even after achieving an end of treatment response. Prolonged therapy can be effective for helping such high-risk patients to avoid relapse. We aimed to identify factors predictive of virologic relapse in chronic hepatitis C patients who have achieved end of treatment response.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed data from 242 chronic hepatitis C patients who achieved end of treatment response with peginterferon plus ribavirin therapy from 2003 to 2007.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Virologic relapse was identified in 32 patients (13.2%). We considered age, sex, body mass index, presence of diabetes, hemoglobin, platelet, alanine aminotransferase, stage of fibrosis, baseline hepatitis C virus RNA level, rapid virologic response, and adherence to drugs. For genotype 1 patients, older age (> or = 50 years) and higher baseline RNA level (> or = 2,000,000 IU/mL) were significantly correlated with occurrence of relapse. For genotypes 2 and 3, lower adherence to peginterferon (< 80%) was an independent risk factor for relapse.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In chronic hepatitis C patients who had achieved end of treatment response, risk factors for relapse were older age and higher baseline hepatitis C virus RNA level in genotype 1, and lower adherence to peginterferon in genotypes 2 and 3, which may be valuable to individualize duration of therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Kangnam Sacred Hospital, Hallym University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Su Rin
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Dong Hyun
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Sinn
authors.forename: Geum-Youn
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Gwak
authors.forename: Moon Seok
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Moon Seok
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Joon Hyoek
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Kwang Cheol
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Koh
authors.forename: Byung Chul
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.forename: Seung Woon
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Paik
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001706:Biopsy; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D055118:Medication Adherence; D008875:Middle Aged; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012008:Recurrence; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D012254:Ribavirin; C100416:peginterferon alfa-2a