title: [Efficacy of peginterferon and ribavirin combination therapy of chronic hepatitis C: a pooled analysis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A combination of peginterferon and ribavirin is the standard therapy for chronic hepatitis C (CHC). However, the respective study has not been carried out in a large scale in Korea. The purpose of this study was to collect the studies that have been reported in Korea in order to analyze the therapeutic effect of combination therapy and compare to find racial difference.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-eight papers related to the therapeutic effect of combination therapy in CHC patients were analyzed based on pooled analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Based on the analysis for genotype 1 in Korea, early virologic response (EVR), end of treatment response (ETR), and sustained virologic response (SVR) were 79.6% (125/157), 80.1% (166/207), and 62.7% (341/543). The EVR, ETR, and SVR for genotype 2 and 3 were 89.4% (119/133), 92.2% (203/220), and 84.1% (434/516). Data from other Asians showed that EVR and SVR for genotype 1 were 88.9% (290/326) and 64.4% (491/762) respectively and 88.8% (135/152), and 79.4% (151/190) for genotype 2 and 3 respectively. In Western, EVR and SVR for genotype 1 were 51.3% (1,981/3,860) and 42.4% (1,798/4,231) respectively, and for genotype 2 and 3 were 87.7% (350/399) and 77.8% (533/685) respectively. Based on the comparative analysis, no statistical difference in SVR between Koreans and other Asians (p=0.955) was observed; However, the SVR of Koreans was higher with significance than that of Westerns (p<0.001) On the other hand, there was no difference what so ever, in SVR for genotype 2 amongst the different races.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The SVR of combination therapy for the Korean chronic hepatitis C patients was similar to other Asians but higher than Westerns.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Gachon University of Medicine and Science, Incheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Soo Yong
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Min Young
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Rim
authors.forename: In Ku
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Yo
authors.forename: Min Su
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Ha
authors.forename: Ju Seung
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ji Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Young Kul
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Oh Sang
authors.initials: OS
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Yun Soo
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Duck Joo
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Ju Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016208:Databases, Factual; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000208:ethnology; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
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