HEPATITIS C

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has infected about 200 million individuals across theworld and is known as the major cause of liver disease . Objectives: Viral load measurementat early stages of the therapy in Hepatitis C patients is believed to be a more effective toolto predict the sustained virological response (SVR). The primary aim of the present studywas to evaluate whether the decline in viral load of HCV at early stages of the therapy maypredict the treatment response. Another objective was to see the benefits of therapy extensionin non-responders. Study Design: Descriptive, analytical study. Setting: Shalamar HospitalLahore. Period: November 2010 to October 2013. Methods: Four hundred and thirty patients,chronically infected with different genotypes of Hepatitis C virus were treated with Interferonalpha 2b plus Ribavirin (IFNα-2b + RBV). Viral load was assessed at day zero, week four, inthe mid time of therapy and at the end of therapy. The treatment duration was extended 12-24weeks (according to HCV genotypes) in non-responders. Results: The patients with <2 MIU/mL viral load at day zero, able to drop ≥2 log viral load at week-4 or showed no virus at thetime of half therapy completion, exhibited better response. The extension of therapy was morebeneficial for those non-responder who had <0.05 MIU/mL viral load at the end point of therapythan those who had ≥0.05 MIU/mL at that stage. Conclusions: The viral load detection at earlystages of the therapy will be useful in clinical practice. Moreover, the patients with <0.05 MIU/mL viral load at the end of therapy are suitable candidates for the therapy extension.