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BACKGROUND/AIM: To determine the sustained viral response (SVR) rate and to investigate the baseline host and viral characteristics of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients who achieved an SVR with interferon (IFN) alone or IFN plus ribavirin.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred and forty-seven adults with CHC were studied. Baseline serum HCV-RNA was quantified by RT-PCR, and the HCV serotype was classified as S1 and S2. IFN therapy was selected according to the serum HCV-RNA load: IFN-alpha 2b plus ribavirin were given to 63 patients, while the other 84 patients were treated with IFN alone (53 patients received IFN-alpha or -alpha 2b, and 31 patients received consensus IFN). All IFNs were administered daily for 2 weeks, followed by the same dose thrice weekly for a median of 22 weeks (14-94 weeks). Twenty-four weeks after finishing therapy, SVR was defined as negative serum HCV-RNA by a qualitative PCR, and patients with any other outcome were defined as nonresponders. Peripheral blood CD4 positive T cell subsets (Th1 and Th2 cells), NK cells, serum cytokines, and standard liver function tests were measured before starting therapy.
RESULTS: An SVR was achieved in 87 patients, while 60 patients were nonresponders. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the serum log 10-transformed HCV-RNA load, serotype, and liver fibrosis were independent factors for SVR. According to univariate logistic regression analysis, serum Log IL-10 and peripheral blood Th1 cells were significant predictors of SVR.
CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that an SVR is strongly associated with S2, serum HCV-RNA load, and mild fibrosis, even when therapy is chosen according the serum viral load and serotype.
