Induction of Combination Therapy for the Management of Hepatitis C: An Observational Study

Background and objective Hepatitis C infection is prevalent in Pakistan. The purpose of this study was to observe the therapeutic effects of conventional interferon in combination with ribavirin among treatment-naive hepatitis C patients. Methods This descriptive cross-sectional study of hepatitis C combination therapy was conducted at our institute after approval. All the patients received treatment with conventional interferon (5-MU three times weekly) and ribavirin (1000mg/day) for four weeks. A follow-up for the rapid virological response (RVR) was done in the fourth week of treatment.  Results The mean age of the patients was 37.43. There was a gradual decrease in RVR with increasing age after four weeks of treatment.  Conclusion The combination therapy showed good RVR in the fourth week among all hepatitis C patients.