title: [Predictive factors of response to peginterferon and ribavirin in Tunisians patients with chronic hepatitis C: report of 141 cases].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The current treatment recommendation for chronic hepatitis c is the combination of peginterferon and ribavirin.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To report our experience in the treatment of chronic hepatitis c and determine the predictive factors of sustained virologic response.
  
  
  METHODS
  Analysis of consecutive patients treated with peginterferon and ribavirine from 1st January 2000 and 31st December 2009. results: 141 patients with an average age of 50 years were included. 75 % of the patients were infected by a VHc of genotype 1. 22.6 % of the patients were cirrhotics. 7 % of the patients (n=10) had to stop the treatment because of severe side-effects. A reduction of the dose was indicated for 16 % of the patients (n=23). Among the 117 patients with the end of treatment virologic response, 24 patients (20.5%) relapse during the 6 months after the end of therapy. The sustained virologic response in intention to treat was 66 % (57.9 % in case of genotype 1-4 and 91 % in case of genotype 2-3). In multivariate analysis, 4 independent factors of sustained virologic response were identified: the male gender, a viral genotype not 1, a pre-therapeutic viral load ≤ 600 000 UI / ml and a rapid virologic response.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Approximately two thirds of the patients with chronic hepatitis c achieved a sustained virologic response with peginterferon and ribavirin. Our results are comparable to those of the literature. They will credibly be improved by the introduction of the new antiviral agents.
authors.forename: Sondes
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bizid
authors.forename: Hatem
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ben Abdallah
authors.forename: Ichrak
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kilani
authors.forename: Ghanem
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mohamed
authors.forename: Riadh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bouali
authors.forename: Nabil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Abdelli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012737:Sex Factors; D014416:Tunisia; D019562:Viral Load
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