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BRIEF COMMUNICATION: Efficacy of ribavirin plus interferon α on viraemia of GB virus‐C/hepatitis G virus: Comparison with interferon α alone
Author(s) -
KAO JIAHORNG,
LAI MINGYANG,
CHEN WENDY,
CHEN PEIJER,
CHEN DINGSHINN
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of gastroenterology and hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.214
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1440-1746
pISSN - 0815-9319
DOI - 10.1046/j.1440-1746.1998.01777.x
Subject(s) - ribavirin , medicine , coinfection , gb virus c , hepatitis c virus , virology , alpha interferon , flaviviridae , interferon , titer , virus , hepatitis c , interferon alfa , immunology
We investigated the efficacy of ribavirin plus interferon (IFN) α on GB virus‐C (GBV‐C)/hepatitis G virus (HGV) viraemia and compared it with that of interferon α alone in patients coinfected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and GBV‐C/HGV. Serum HCV and GBV‐C/HGV‐RNA were studied in eight patients with HCV and GBV‐C/HGV coinfection, five received IFNα and three received oral ribavirin plus IFNα. Mean serum GBV‐C/HGV titre at the end of therapy was significantly lower than the titre just before therapy and patients with lower pretreatment titre had a better sustained response rate. Sustained virological response of GBV‐C/HGV to IFNα alone and ribavirin plus IFNα at the end of follow up was observed in one each, respectively. Thus, GBV‐C/HGV in patients with HCV and GBV‐C/HGV coinfection does respond to IFNα and ribavirin plus IFNα may not induce a higher sustained response.