title: Platelet count and sustained virological response in hepatitis C treatment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the epidemiological data, hematological safety and treatment responses of peginterferon-alpha 2a plus ribavirin therapy for hepatitis C.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between March 2008 and February 2011, 196 hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 infected Japanese (127 treatment-naive and 69 treatment-experienced patients) patients treated with peginterferon-alpha 2a plus ribavirin were enrolled. We examined the epidemiological data and treatment responses were retrospectively analyzed in terms of hematological safety. HCV RNA was measured by the COBAS TaqMan HCV test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall sustained virological response (SVR) rates of treatment-naive and treatment-experienced patients were 56% and 39%, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that SVR was attained independently of early virological response in both treatment-naive and treatment-experienced patients. SVR rates did not differ between the pretreatment hemoglobin < 13 g/dL and ≥ 13 g/dL groups. However, in treatment-naive patients, the SVR rate of the pretreatment platelet count < 130000/µL group was significantly lower than that of the pretreatment platelet count ≥ 130000/µL group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Attention should be paid to potential thrombocytopenia in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C patients.
authors.affiliation: Tatsuo Kanda, Tatsuo Miyamura, Daisuke Maruoka, Shuang Wu, Shingo Nakamoto, Makoto Arai, Keiichi Fujiwara, Fumio Imazeki, Osamu Yokosuka, Department of Gastroenterology and Nephrology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba 260-8677, Japan.
authors.forename: Tatsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kanda
authors.forename: Keizo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Akihito
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tsubota
authors.forename: Nobuo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takada
authors.forename: Takayoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nishino
authors.forename: Shigeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mikami
authors.forename: Tatsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyamura
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Maruoka
authors.forename: Shuang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Shingo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakamoto
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arai
authors.forename: Keiichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujiwara
authors.forename: Fumio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Imazeki
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Yokosuka
keywords: Anemia; Antiviral treatment; Chronic hepatitis C; Platelet count; Sustained virological response