TABLE 4.
Factors associated with response to IFN-α treatment in 30 chronic hepatitis C patients
| Characteristic | No. of patients | Complete responders (n = 8; 26.7%) | Nonresponders (n = 22; 73.3%) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (yr) | 30 | 47.9 ± 16.3 | 44.2 ± 11.8 | >0.05 |
| Sex (no. [%] of patients) | <0.05 | |||
| Male | 16 | 7 (43.8) | 9 (56.2) | |
| Female | 14 | 1 (7.1) | 13 (92.9) | |
| History of transfusion (no. [%] of patients) | 0.05 | |||
| Yes | 8 | 0 | 8 (100%) | |
| No | 22 | 8 (36.4) | 14 (63.6) | |
| Biochemistry (IU/liter) | >0.05 | |||
| ASTa | 30 | 50.3 ± 30.2 | 48.6 ± 21.7 | |
| ALTb | 30 | 66.8 ± 40.8 | 51.8 ± 23.1 | |
| Liver histology (no. [%] of patients) | >0.05 | |||
| Chronic persistent hepatitis | 9 | 3 (33.3) | 6 (66.7) | |
| Chronic active hepatitis | 13 | 3 (23.1) | 10 (76.9) | |
| Liver cirrhosis | 8 | 2 (25.0) | 6 (75.0) | |
| HCV genotype (no. [%] of patients) | >0.05 | |||
| 1b | 15 | 3 (20.0) | 12 (80.0) | |
| Non-1b | 15 | 5 (33.3) | 10 (66.7) | |
| HCV viral loadc (log) | ||||
| Pretreatment | 30 | 4.25 ± 1.17 | 5.31 ± 0.89 | 0.01 |
| 2 wk after initiation of treatment | 30 | 1.93 ± 0.66 | 4.08 ± 1.27 | <0.0001 |
| 4 wk after initiation of treatment | 30 | 1.70 ± 0.00 | 3.27 ± 1.50 | <0.01 |
| Ratio of reduction of viral load | ||||
| 2 wk after initiation of treatment | 30 | 0.46 ± 0.14 | 0.22 ± 0.20 | <0.01 |
| 4 wk after initiation of treatment | 30 | 0.49 ± 0.16 | 0.37 ± 0.24 | >0.05 |
a
AST, aspartate aminotransferase.
b
ALT, alanine aminotransferase.
c
As measured by COBAS HCM-2.