The Combination Therapy with Peg-interferon Alfa and Ribavirin for Chronic Hepatitis C in Korea as an Initial Treatment

Dong Hyun Park; Sang Uk Lee; Jin Seok Yu; Jun Seop Lee; Hye Jung Kwon

doi:10.7180/kmj.2012.27.2.111

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Park, Lee, Yu, Lee, and Kwon: The Combination Therapy with Peg-interferon Alfa and Ribavirin for Chronic Hepatitis C in Korea as an Initial Treatment

Original Article

Kosin Medical Journal

Kosin Medical Journal 2012; 27(2): 111-118.

Published online: 27 December 2012

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7180/kmj.2012.27.2.111

The Combination Therapy with Peg-interferon Alfa and Ribavirin for Chronic Hepatitis C in Korea as an Initial Treatment

Dong Hyun Park, Sang Uk Lee, Jin Seok Yu, Jun Seop Lee, Hye Jung Kwon

Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Kosin University, Gospel Hospital, Busan, Korea.

Corresponding Author: Sang Uk Lee, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Kosin University, 34 Amnam-dong, Seo-gu, Busan, 602-702, Korea. TEL: +82-51-990-6205, FAX: +82-51-990-3049, fk506@dreamwiz.com

Received 16 March 2012 Revised 13 May 2012 Accepted 7 June 2012

Abstract

Objectives

The combination therapy with peginterferon and ribavirin has been used to treat chronic hepatitis C for several years in Korea but there is a few report about the results of the treatment. We evaluated safety and efficacy of the combination therapy with Peg-interferon and ribavirin and analyzed factors that may affect treatment.

Methods

Total 72 untreated chronic hepatitis C patients were administered pegylated interferon alfa-2a (180µg/week) or alfa-2b (1.5µg/kg/week) and ribavirin (800 mg/day in genotype 2, 1000-1200 mg/day in genotype 1). Duration of the treatment was 24 weeks in genotype 2 and 48 weeks in genotype 1. Response of the treatment was evaluated by rapid virologic response (RVR), early virologic response (EVR), end treatment virologic response (ETR), sustained virologic response (SVR) and adverse event.

Results

The RVR, EVR, ETR, SVR were 61.8%, 82.5%, 88.9% and 80.5% retrospectively. The SVR of genotype 1 was 63.4% and non-genotype 1 was 96.7%. Genotype (Odds ratio: 14.92) was an independent predictor of the SVR. Leukocytopenia, flu-like symptoms, itching, rash and anemia were common adverse events of the combination therapy and if then we reduced dose and there was one case of cessation.

Conclusions

The combination therapy with Peg-interferon and ribavirin shows efficacy to the Korean patients with chronic hepatitis C as an initial treatment. Genotypes 2 and 3 were more likely to have a sustained virologic response.

Keywords: Hepatitis C, Peginterferon alfa-2a, Peginterferon alfa-2b, Ribavirin

Figures and Tables

Fig. 1

Virologic response of pegylated interferon and ribavirin. RVR 61.8%, EVR 82.5%, ETR 88.9%, SVR 80.5%.

Table 1

Baseline characteristics of study population

Table 2

The SVR according to RVR, EVR, EVR

Table 3

Odds ratio of several factors

Table 4

Factors influencing on SVR from univariate analysis

Table 5

Adverse events of therapy

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