title: Ways to manage hepatitis C without cirrhosis: Treatment by comparison of coded eastern medicine hepcinal with interferon alpha 2b and ribavirin.
abstract: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a serious and significant global health problem in the Pakistan and elsewhere. In majority of cases HCV infection remains asymptomatic but in advance cases it may progress to fibrosis of liver, shrinkage of liver cells or failure of liver. The hepatitis C may progress to cause liver cirrhosis that mostly develop in 20% of the affected patients in 20 years with an increased risk in male, alcoholic drink, immune-compromised and who acquire HCV infection after the age of 40 years. This was an open-label prospective study conducted on 66 clinically and immunologically diagnosed cases of HCV infection. In Hepcinal treated group, there were significant improvement in HCV associated symptoms compared to control group (p<0.05). While Interferon therapy resulted in significant improvement in serological response (55.88%) compared to Hepcinal treated patients (46.88%). It was concluded that Hepcinal has shown better clinical response but no significant serological response (p=0.3244) and it might be an alternative therapy to treat hepatitis C infection and to prevent its progression into chronic ailment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Eastern Medicine, Hamdard University, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Allah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nawaz
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Eastern Medicine, Hamdard University, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Halima
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nazar
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Eastern Medicine, Hamdard University, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Khan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Usmanghani
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Eastern Medicine, Hamdard University, Karachi, Pakistan / Research and Development Department, Herbion Pakistan Private Limited, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Zeeshan Ahmed
authors.initials: ZA
authors.lastname: Sheikh
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Eastern Medicine, Hamdard University, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Muhammad Amjad
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Chishti
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Irshad
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ahmad
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010154:Pakistan; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D028321:Plant Preparations; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012254:Ribavirin