title: Five-year follow-up of patients with chronic C hepatitis and sustained virological response.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to assess persistence of sustained viral response at 5 years of follow-up in patients with chronic viral hepatitis C treated with pegylated interferon and ribavirin.
  
  
  METHODS
  a descriptive study.
  
  
  METHODS
  from August 2001 to May 2004, all patients treated at our center with pegylated interferon and ribavirin who achieved a sustained viral response were consecutively enrolled (93 patients). Demographic, histological, biochemical, and virological data were collected during treatment and 5 years after achievement of the sustained viral response. Eighty-six percent of patients enrolled (n = 80) attended the control visit at 5 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  mean age of enrolled patients was 41 years (standard deviation = 10 years), and 30.1% (n = 28) were women. Liver biopsy had been performed before treatment in 68.8% of patients (n = 64), showing no or mild fibrosis in 62.3% (F0 and F1) and significant fibrosis and cirrhosis in 37.7% (F ≥ 3). Genotype distribution was: 58.1% genotype 1 (n = 54); 8.6% genotype 2 (n = 8); 24.7% genotype 3 (n = 23); 7.5% genotype 4 (n = 7), and indeterminate in one patient. Only one patient experienced virological recurrence. All other patients had negative HCV RNA levels and, in the absence of other liver diseases, normal ALT levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  in patients treated with pegylated interferon and ribavirin with sustained viral response, long-term recurrence rate was very low.
authors.affiliation: Digestive Diseases Unit, Hospital de Sabadell, Institut Universitari Parc Taulí, Department of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Sabadell, Spain.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Puig Del Castillo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miquel Planas
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vergara Gómez
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cebollero Agustí
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gallach Montero
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dalmau Obrador
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gil Prades
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Casas Rodrigo
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sánchez Delgado
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tomás Tutusaus
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gavarró Puig
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012008:Recurrence; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D012254:Ribavirin; C417083:peginterferon alfa-2b; C100416:peginterferon alfa-2a