[Effectiveness of combined therapies using two types of peginterferon and ribavirin in treating chronic hepatitis C virus genotypes 1b/6a infections].

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effectiveness of a combined therapy using two types of peginterferon (PEG-IFN) and ribavirin in treating chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes 1b/6a infections. METHODS: The clinical data of 171 patients with chronic HCV genotypes 1b/6a infection in Common Hospital Centre S. Januario, Macau SAR, China, were retrospectively analyzed. Of these patients, 145 (84.8%) were infected with HCV genotype 1b and 26 (15.2%) with HCV genotype 6a. Patients were divided into two groups based on drug therapies PEG-IFN-2b group (n=140), in which patients were treated with PEG-IFN-2b 1.5 g/kg QW plus ribavirin 800-1 200 mg/d and PEG-IFN-2a group (n=31), in which patients were treated with PEG-IFN-2a 180g QW plus ribavirin 800-1 200 mg/d. Patients was treated for 48 weeks and then followed up for 24 weeks. RESULTS: All patients completed their therapies. The rates of early viral response (EVR) and sustained virologic response (SVR) were 78.95% and 69.59%, respectively . The two groups were not significantly different in terms of EVR P=0.091 end of treatment virological response (ETVR) (P=0.542), SVR P=0.079, relapse (P=0.497). And the two HCV genotypes patients were not significantly different in terms of EVR (P=0.268), ETVR (P=0.276), SVR (P=0.479), and relapse (P=1.000). CONCLUSIONS: PEG-IFN combined with ribavirin can achieve high viral response in treating chronic hepatitis C. PEG-IFN-2a and PEG-IFN-2b basically are similarly effective in treating HCV genotype 1b or 6a infections.