title: Delayed Viral Clearance after 6-Week Treatment with Peginterferon Plus Ribavirin in a Patient with Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 1b.
abstract: Following interferon-based therapy for chronic hepatitis C, the negativity of hepatitis C virus RNA is essential to achieve viral clearance at the end of treatment. We report a case of clearance of chronic hepatitis C virus infection following early discontinuation (at 6 weeks) of peginterferon plus ribavirin therapy, without negativity for hepatitis C virus RNA during the treatment period. The patient was a 76-year-old Japanese male infected with hepatitis C virus genotype 1b and TT of IL28B rs8099917. Hepatitis C virus RNA remained positive at persistently low levels for more than 2 months after the cessation of therapy and became negative at 7 months after the discontinuation of therapy. Spontaneous clearance of hepatitis C virus RNA can occur following antiviral failure in patients with persistently low viral loads, and virological follow-up is therefore necessary in chronic hepatitis C virus infection, even after antiviral failure.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine Yokohama City Seibu Hospital, Yokohama, Japan.
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine Yokohama City Seibu Hospital, Yokohama, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshiya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine Yokohama City Seibu Hospital, Yokohama, Japan.
authors.forename: Kayo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Adachi
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine Yokohama City Seibu Hospital, Yokohama, Japan.
authors.forename: Hideaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine Yokohama City Seibu Hospital, Yokohama, Japan.
authors.forename: Fumiaki
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sano
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
keywords: Delayed viral clearance; HLA; Hepatitis C; IL28B; Peginterferon; Ribavirin; Spontaneous viral clearance