Pegylated interferon-alpha2a/ribavirin treatment of recurrent hepatitis C after liver transplantation

Dinges, S; Morard, I; Heim, M; Dufour, Jean-François; Müllhaupt, B; Giostra, E; Clavien, P-A; Mentha, G; Negro, F (2009). Pegylated interferon-alpha2a/ribavirin treatment of recurrent hepatitis C after liver transplantation. Transplant infectious disease, 11(1), pp. 33-9. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley 10.1111/j.1399-3062.2008.00359.x

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Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection invariably recurs after liver transplantation (LT), leading to significant morbidity and mortality. Although the combination of pegylated interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha)/ribavirin is the preferred treatment for these patients, the optimal schedule remains undetermined. In an uncontrolled trial, 19 patients with HCV infection recurring after LT received pegylated IFN-alpha(2a), 180 mug weekly, and ribavirin, 10 mg/kg body weight daily, for 48 weeks. The proportion of patients with undetectable HCV RNA in their serum after 12 weeks of treatment was 53%. Five patients (26%) dropped out of the study due to intolerance (in 2 cases), depression (in 1), or infectious complications (in 2). A sustained virological response (SVR), defined as undetectable serum HCV RNA 24 weeks after the end of treatment, was observed in 9/19 patients (47%). SVR was associated with an early virological response after 12 weeks of therapy (P<0.001) and a treatment duration >80% (P=0.02), but not with baseline HCV RNA level or a cumulative dose of pegylated IFN-alpha(2a) or ribavirin >80% of the scheduled dose. All 4 patients with genotype 2 or 3 reached SVR, as compared with 33% of patients with genotype 1 or 4 (P=0.03). A 48-week course of pegylated IFN-alpha(2a)/ribavirin therapy is effective in patients with recurrent HCV infection after LT.

Item Type:	Journal Article (Original Article)
Division/Institute:	04 Faculty of Medicine > Department of Gastro-intestinal, Liver and Lung Disorders (DMLL) > Clinic of Visceral Surgery and Medicine > Hepatology 04 Faculty of Medicine > Pre-clinic Human Medicine > BioMedical Research (DBMR) > DBMR Forschung Mu35 > Forschungsgruppe Hepatologie 04 Faculty of Medicine > Pre-clinic Human Medicine > BioMedical Research (DBMR) > DBMR Forschung Mu35 > Forschungsgruppe Hepatologie
UniBE Contributor:	Dufour, Jean-François
ISSN:	1398-2273
ISBN:	19144096
Publisher:	Wiley
Language:	English
Submitter:	Factscience Import
Date Deposited:	04 Oct 2013 15:07
Last Modified:	05 Dec 2022 14:20
Publisher DOI:	10.1111/j.1399-3062.2008.00359.x
PubMed ID:	19144096
Web of Science ID:	000262646100005
URI:	https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/29607 (FactScience: 153934)