Open AccessDecrease of HCVRNA after three days of daily interferon treatment is predictive of the virological response at one month
Author(s) -
Magalini Alba,
Puoti Massimo,
Putzolu Valeria,
QuirosRoldan Eugenia,
Forleo Maria Antonia,
Rossi Stefania,
Zaltron Serena,
Spinetti Angiola,
Zanini Barbara,
Zonaro Antonella,
Solfrini Roberto,
Carosi Giampiero
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
journal of clinical laboratory analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.536
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1098-2825
pISSN - 0887-8013
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-2825(2000)14:3<120::aid-jcla6>3.0.co;2-#
Subject(s) - medicine , interferon , predictive value , virology
Early monitoring of HCVRNA during interferon treatment may allow clinicians to obtain important information that could help them to adopt therapeutic decisions in individual cases. The hepatitis C virus infection is highly dynamic and a daily high dose of IFN may induce a decline of viremia of 95 ± 10% of baseline value after 24 to 48 hours of treatment. The importance of this early antiviral efficacy has not been understood. We have measured HCVRNA levels in 47 patients with chronic hepatitis C infection during interferon treatment to study HCVRNA kinetics and evaluate the predictive value of the early decay of viremia on the virological response after one month of treatment. Sixty percent of treated patients showed early virological response (EVR) and it was significantly associated with low HCVRNA levels and a genotype other than 1b. Finally, the absence of an 85% decline in HCVRNA levels after 3 days of treatment observed in 11 out of 45 patients (24%) was an absolute and very early predictor of the absence of EVR in the study population. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 14:120–124, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.