2017 Volume 32 Issue 1 Pages 858-864
Objective: To clarify a possible role for nutrition support in antiviral triple-drug therapy including telaprevir, we prospectively examined the changes in nutrition variables during the 24-week time course of this treatment.
Patients and methods: One hundred and ten consecutive patients with hepatitis C virusl genotype 1 infection who were admitted to our hospital between January 2012 and May 2013 were enrolled in this study. All patients started therapy in hospital and nutrition support intervention commenced simultaneously.
Results: A loss of appetite was observed in 84.2% (92/110) of patients. The largest decrease in appetite was seen at 2 to 3 weeks after the start of therapy but was smoothly restored by dose reduction or termination of telaprevir use. Nutritional support signiicantly increased estimated energy (1356 ± 388 kcal to 1485 ± 353 kcal, P<0.01) and lipid intake (34.3±13.6 g to 43.2±10.7 g, P<0.01) in patients at the time of appetite loss. Treatment completion rate was 94% (103/110) and the rate of sustained virologic response was 86.3%.
Conclusion: Loss of appetite is observed with high frequency in telaprevir-treated patients. Team medical care including nutrition support is necessary for completion of this therapy.
