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Twelve-Week Treatment of Acute Hepatitis C Virus with Pegylated Interferon- -2b in Injection Drug Users

2007; Oxford University Press; Volume: 45; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1086/520660

1537-6591

Francesco Giuseppe De Rosa, Olivia Bargiacchi, Sabrina Audagnotto, Silvia Garazzino, Giuseppe Cariti, Guido Calleri, O. Lesioba, S. Belloro, Riccardo Raiteri, Giampaolo Perri,

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Research

Injection drug use is the leading risk factor for infection with hepatitis C virus, and interferon (IFN) treatment in this context is associated with a poor rate of adherence. In this article, we review our experience with injection drug users with acute hepatitis C who are treated with pegylated IFN-α-2b for 12 weeks. Acute hepatitis C was diagnosed according to standardized criteria, and patients were treated with a median dosage of IFN-α-2b of 1.33 µg/kg per week. A sustained virological response was achieved in 17 (74%) of 23 patients. A sustained virological response was achieved in 14 (87%) of 16 patients treated with a dosage of ⩾1.33 µg/kg per week and in 3 (43%) of 7 patients treated with a lower dosage. Sustained virological response was significantly associated only with a pegylated IFN-α-2b dosage ⩾1.33 µg/kg per week (P = .022). A 12-week regimen of pegylated IFN to treat injection drug users with hepatitis C has a compliance that is much higher than that reported with a 24-week regimen. Adverse effects are minimal if patients are carefully selected.