title: Peginterferon Therapy in Children With Chronic Hepatitis C: A Nationwide, Multicenter Study in Japan, 2004-2013.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to review the medical treatment of Japanese children and adolescents with chronic hepatitis C in the past 10 years.
  
  
  
  This nationwide, multicenter study evaluated patients who were younger than 18 years of age when diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and were treated with pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) monotherapy or PEG-IFN/ribavirin (RBV) combination therapy between 2004 and 2013. The subjects' median age was 10 (3-18) years, with a male to female ratio of 52:50 and a genotype-1 to genotype-2 ratio of 45:57. Among the 102 patients, 18 received PEG-IFN monotherapy and 84 received PEG-IFN/RBV combination therapy. The IL28B genotype polymorphism was analyzed in patients infected with genotype-1.
  
  
  
  In patients with HCV genotype-1 infections, sustained virological response (SVR) rates obtained by PEG-IFN monotherapy and by PEG-IFN/RBV combination therapy were 100% (2/2) and 72% (31/43), respectively. In patients with HCV genotype-2 infections, SVRs were 75% (12/16) and 100% (41/41), respectively. In 32 genotype-1 patients available for the IL28B genotype (rs8099917), SVR was achieved in more patients in the IL28B major allele group than in the minor allele group (15/17 vs 7/15, P = 0.021) after PEG-IFN/RBV combination therapy. The frequencies of adverse events were similar between the treatment regimens.
  
  
  
  Overall, both therapies showed encouraging results, and were reasonably safe in children and adolescents with chronic hepatitis C. The IL28B genotype was useful for predicting the treatment response to PEG-IFN/RBV combination therapy in this cohort.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Pediatrics, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan†Department of Pediatrics, Osaka General Medical Center, Osaka, Japan‡Department of Virology and Liver Unit, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan§Department of Pediatrics, Osaka University, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan||Division of Pediatrics and Perinatology, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Tottori, Japan¶Department of Microbiology/Immunology, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY.
authors.forename: Mitsuyoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tajiri
authors.forename: Yasuhito
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takano
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miyoshi
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.forename: Toshiaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brooks
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics; D002648:Child; D002662:Child Health Services; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016019:Survival Analysis; 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