Table 1. Baseline Characteristics of the Patients (n = 170).
Treated With IFN a α-2b + RBV a, Group I (n = 119) | Treated With Pegylated IFN -α-2b + RBV, Group II (n = 51) | |
Sex | ||
Female | 41 | 15 |
Male | 78 | 36 |
Age, y, (mean) | 1–18 (11.7) | 8–18 (13.6) |
HCV genotype, No. (%) | ||
1 | 48/75 (64) | 27/51 (53) |
4 | 27/75 (36) | 24/51 (47) |
Baseline HCV RNA, IU/mL b, mean ± SD | 3.58 ± 1.17 × 105 | 8.98 ± 6.19 × 105 b |
ALT activity, U/L, mean ± SD | 59.4 ± 24.0 | 46.1 ± 22.0 |
Liver biopsy, mean ± SD | ||
Grading | 1.11 ± 0.49 | 0.92 ± 0.46 |
Staging | 0.68 ± 0.49 | 0.63 ± 0.53 |
Treatment-naïve, No. (%) | 101 (85) | 26 (51) |
Retherapy, No. (%) | 18 (15) | 25 (49) |
a Abbreviations: IFn; Interferon, RBV; Ribavirin
b In 3 cases, HCV RnA was assessed only qualitatively.