[Effectiveness of peginterferon alpha-2a or -2b plus ribavirin in naïve patients with hepatitis C infection]. / Efectividad del tratamiento de la hepatitis C con peginterferón alfa (2a o 2b) más ribavirina en pacientes naïve.

INTRODUCTION: Treatment of hepatitis C is based on the combination of peginterferon alfa-2a or -2b plus ribavirin; the more effective peginterferon for this purpose has not been established. The aim of this study is to compare the effectiveness of hepatitis C treatment according to the type of peginterferon used. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was performed from November 2002 to May 2004, with up to 12 months of follow-up in all patients after completion of treatment. The study included naïve monoinfected patients, divided into two groups: Group A: peginterferon alfa-2a plus ribavirin and Group B: peginterferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin. The main variables studied were plasma glutamate pyruvate transferase levels (biochemical response), viral load (virologic response), and treatment effectiveness (biochemical and virologic response). RESULTS: A total of 202 patients were studied (Group A: 87; Group B: 115), there were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between the two groups. Sustained biochemical response: 75.8% vs. 76.2% (P = .908); Sustained virological response: 71.3% vs. 64.3% (P = .293); Effectiveness of treatment: 64.2% vs. 60.87% (P = .628). CONCLUSION: No differences in the sustained virological or biochemical response were found between groups receiving peginterferon alfa-2a or peginterferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin, suggesting that the two types of peginterferon alfa are similarly effective for treating hepatitis C in monoinfected patients.

Efectividad del tratamiento de la hepatitis C con peginterferón alfa (2a o 2b) más ribavirina en pacientes naïve / Effectiveness of peginterferon alpha-2a or -2b plus ribavirin in naïve patients with hepatitis C infection

Introducción. El tratamiento de la hepatitis C se basa en la combinación de peginterferón (PEG-INF) alfa (2a o 2b) más ribavirina, sin establecerse qué peginterferón es más eficaz. El objetivo principal de este trabajo es comparar la efectividad del tratamiento de la hepatitis C en función del tipo de peginterferón. Material y métodos. Estudio de cohortes, prospectivo, de noviembre 2002 a mayo 2004 con seguimiento de hasta 12 meses tras finalizar el tratamiento a todos los pacientes. Se incluyeron pacientes naïve monoinfectados. Grupo A: peginterferón alfa-2a más ribavirina; grupo B: peginterferón alfa-2b más ribavirina. Variables principales: Respuesta bioquímica, respuesta viral sostenida y efectividad del tratamiento (respuesta bioquímica y virológica). Resultados. Se incluyeron 202 pacientes (grupo A: 87; grupo B: 115), sin diferencias significativas en las características basales de ambos grupos de pacientes. Respuesta viral sostenida: el 71,3 frente al 64,3% (p 5 0,293); respuesta bioquímica sostenida: el 75,2 frente al 75,7% (p 5 0,934); efectividad: el 64,2 frente al 60,87% (p 5 0,628). Conclusión. No hay diferencias en la obtención de respuesta viral sostenida, bioquímica sostenida y efectividad del tratamiento entre ambos grupos de pacientes, por lo que se pueden considerar ambos peginterferones igual de efectivos para el tratamiento de la hepatitis C en pacientes monoinfectados (AU)

Introduction. Treatment of hepatitis C is based on the combination of peginterferon alfa-2a or -2b plus ribavirin; the more effective peginterferon for this purpose has not been established. The aim of this study is to compare the effectiveness of hepatitis C treatment according to the type of peginterferon used. Methods. A prospective cohort study was performed from November 2002 to May 2004, with up to 12 months of follow-up in all patients after completion of treatment. The study included naïve monoinfected patients, divided into two groups: Group A: peginterferon alfa-2a plus ribavirin and Group B: peginterferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin. The main variables studied were plasma glutamate pyruvate transferase levels (biochemical response), viral load (virologic response), and treatment effectiveness (biochemical and virologic response). Results. A total of 202 patients were studied (Group A: 87; Group B: 115), there were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between the two groups. Sustained biochemical response: 75.8% vs. 76.2% (P 5 .908); Sustained virological response: 71.3% vs. 64.3% (P 5 .293); Effectiveness of treatment: 64.2% vs. 60.87% (P 5 .628). Conclusion. No differences in the sustained virological or biochemical response were found between groups receiving peginterferon alfa-2a or peginterferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin, suggesting that the two types of peginterferon alfa are similarly effective for treating hepatitis C in monoinfected patients (AU)

[Toxicity of the treatment of chronic hepatitis C with peginterferon alpha (2a or 2b) plus ribavirin in patients not previously treated]. / Toxicidad del tratamiento de la hepatitis C crónica con peginterferón alpha (2a o 2b) y ribavirina en pacientes no tratados anteriormente.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The adverse reactions (ADR) derived from the treatment of hepatitis C with peginterferon alpha and ribavirin causes dose reductions and discontinuations of the treatment that compromise its efectiveness. The aims of this study are to determine the ADR that the patients have presented according to the type of peginterferon alpha, and the effect of these in treatment duration and accumulated dose. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Cohort, prospective and longitudinal study (from November 2002 to April 2006), with monoinfected patients not previously treated (group A: peginterferon alpha-2a plus ribavirin; group B: peginterferon alpha-2b plus ribavirin). RESULTS: Group A: 93 patients; group B: 115. Hematologyc ADR: neutropenia, 24% vs. 26.90%; anemia: 12.50% vs. 9.60%. Not hematologyc ADR: fatigue, 73.10% vs 74.80%; fever (> 38 degrees C), 81.70% vs 86.10%. Permanency in treatment < 80%: 18.3% in group A patients vs. 9.5% in group B patients. Accumulated dose of peginterferon < 80%: 13.9% in group A patients vs. 11.3% in group B patients. CONCLUSIONS: We haven't found differences in the safety profile of both peginterferons, though the patients treated with peginterferon alpha-2b shows a higher permanency in the treatment and a percentage of total received doses > 80% of the theoretical ones.