EVALUATION OF VIROLOGIC RESPONSE IN PATIENTS WITH HCV INFECTION AGAINST DIFFERENT TREATMENT REGIMEN

Abstract

Hepatitis C is an infectious disease of the liver and remains to be the key cause of concern on public health worldwide and has acquired endemic proportions globally. Contrasting other chronic infectious diseases, people with hepatitis C can be cured. The therapy response is measured in expressions of Virologic response. Sustained virologic response (SVR) is taken to be viral cure and is when a person’s hepatitis C continues to be undetectable six months after treatment is discontinued. A study was designed to assess the treatment efficacy when patients infected with HCV 3a genotype were treated either with Interferon (INF) + ribavirin (RV) or Pegylated Interferon (Peg INF) + RV. 84 patients were enrolled in the study after a written informed consent. Their periodic virologic response was measured in terms of viral load and was found that among patients treated with Peg INF+ ribavirin attained 90% sustained virologic response and hence were cured. Those treated with INF + RV either had breakthrough infection or relapsed and failed to attain SVR. Only 20.5% of the patients attained SVR. So concluded that Peg INF+ RV treatment regimen was more efficient.