title: End-of-Treatment-Response in patients treated for hepatitis C virus with standard interferon and ribavirin based on viral load.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the End-of-Treatment-Response (ETR) to standard interferon and ribavirin based regimen in patients of chronic hepatitis C and to compare the ETR response in low and high viral load groups.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Virology Department, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), Rawalpindi, from March 2012 to May 2013.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection were included in the study. Pre-treatment viral load was determined by RoboGene Quantification kit. Based on viral load, the 400 patients were divided into two equal groups of low viral load (< 800,000 IU/ml) and high viral load (> 800,000 IU/ml). The patients were treated with standard interferon alpha (3 million units subcutaneously thrice weekly) and ribavirin (10.6 mg/kg body weight) for 6 months. ETR was measured using Sacace Biotechnologies Qualitative kit. Chi-square test was used to compare the ETR in the two viral load groups. P-value < 0.05 was considered as significant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 400 patients, 206 (51.5%) were males and 194 (48.5%) were females. Two hundred seventy (67.5%) patients achieved ETR and 130 (35.5%) failed to do so. In low viral load group, 145 (72.5%) patients achieved and 55 (27.5%) patients did not achieve ETR. In high viral load group, 123 (61.5%) patients achieved and 77 (38.5%) did not achieve ETR. The difference in ETR between low and high viral load groups was statistically significant (p=0.019).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  End-of-treatment-response in patients treated for hepatitis C virus with standard interferon and ribavirin was greater in patients with low viral load as compared to patients with high viral load.
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), Rawalpindi.
authors.forename: Muhammad Ali
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Rathore
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), Rawalpindi.
authors.forename: Agha Babar
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Hussain
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), Rawalpindi.
authors.forename: Eijaz
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ghani
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D019562:Viral Load; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral; D012254:Ribavirin