Table 1.
Clinical characteristics of the patients included in this study
| Clinical characteristics | Group A (n=22) (SOF+RBV) | Group B (n=19) (SOF+RBV+L-carnitine) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex (male/female) | 9/13 | 8/11 | 0.93 |
| Age (year) | 68 (64-72.5) | 67 (56-70) | 0.25 |
| White blood cell (×102/μL) | 46 (38-55) | 42 (37.5-53) | 0.66 |
| Hemoglobin (g/dL) | 14.25 (13.5-14.5) | 13.4 (13-14) | 0.16 |
| Platelet (×104/μL) | 13.1 (10.6-17.2) | 12.6 (10.9-15.6) | 0.92 |
| Prothrombin time-INR | 1.06 (1.03-1.11) | 1.07 (1.04-1.10) | 0.59 |
| Aspartate aminotransferase (U/L) | 27 (22-50) | 36 (28.5-58.5) | 0.33 |
| Alanine aminotransferase (U/L) | 20 (16-42) | 31 (21.5-60) | 0.30 |
| Albumin (g/dL) | 3.9 (3.8-4.1) | 4.0 (3.7-4.1) | 0.65 |
| Cholinesterase (U/L) | 281 (207-307) | 252 (222.5-297) | 0.42 |
| Total-bilirubin (mg/dL) | 0.8 (0.62-0.97) | 0.7 (0.55-0.8) | 0.64 |
| HCV-RNA (log IU/mL) | 6.2 (5.3-6.7) | 5.1 (4.55-6.2) | 0.06 |
| Genotype 2A/2B | 16/6 | 15/4 | 0.64 |
| P-III-P (U/mL) | 0.9 (0.9-1.0) | 1.15 (0.8-1.35) | 0.19 |
| Type IV collagen (ng/mL) | 4.1 (3.3-6.4) | 4.4 (4-6.7) | 0.39 |
| α-fetoprotein (ng/mL) | 2.6 (1.85-3.35) | 3 (2.5-5.25) | 0.54 |
| Liver biopsy (yes/no) | 18/22 | 15/19 | 0.81 |
| A1/A2/A3 | 0/8/0 | 0/6/0 | 0.79 |
| F1/F2/F3/F4 | 0/3/1/2 | 0/3/1/1 | 0.97 |
| Previous treatment | |||
| Naïve/Relapsed/Null responded | 15-3-4 | 16-2-1 | 0.40 |
Numerical variables were indicated as the median with interquartile range.
SOF, sofosbuvir; RBV, ribavirin; INR, International Normalized Ratio; HCV, hepatitis C virus; P-III-P, type III procollagen-N-peptide; A, inflammation; F, fibrosis.