Influence of Pre-treatment Factors on Outcome of Interferon-alpha Treatment of Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C

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Abstract
A total of 172 Swedish patients treated with interferon-alpha for at least 24 weeks and followed-up > or =24 weeks after treatment was stopped were analysed for pre-treatment factors of importance for achieving a virological sustained response (SR). Furthermore, the predictive value for a virological SR of a positive or negative HCV RNA test at week 12 of treatment was evaluated. A low baseline viral load and genotype non-1b were pre-treatment factors indicating a favourable response. Thus, 44% (38/86) of patients with a low baseline viral load vs. only 16% (14/86) of those with a high viral load had a virological SR (p 6 months) treatment with interferon-alpha tended to increase the chance of virological SR (p<0.052).