C型慢性肝炎に対するペグインターフェロン, リバビリン併用療法24週時の血清HCV RNA陰性予測におけるコア抗原の有用性

We analyzed prediction markers of serum HCV RNA negative at 24-week-treatment with peginterferon and ribavirin for patients with chronic hepatitis C in Japan. Serum level of a pre-treatment HCV core antigen was significantly lower in patients negative for HCV RNA than in patients positive for HCV RNA at 24-week-treatment (p<0.01). The patients with a pre-treatment HCV core antigen level lower than 15000fmol/L and HCV core antigen loss (<20fmol/L) after one-month-treatment showed significantly higher negativity in serum HCV RNA at 24-week-treatment (p<0.05 and p<0.02, respectively). These date strongly suggest that the pre-treatment HCV core antigen level as well as HCV core antigen loss after one-month-treatment are useful prediction markers in efficacy of the combination therapy with peginterferon and ribavirin.