End of treatment response in chronic hepatitis C patients treated with interferon alpha and ribavirin.

: We conducted a study at Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Sialkot, from August 2010 to February 2011 with the objective to determine the frequency of early and end of treatment virological response in patients with chronic hepatitis C infection treated with IFN-a / ribavirin therapy. HCV RNA PCR positive adult patients of either gender were included in the study. A total of 123 patients (56 males and 67 females) were given alpha-interferon ribavirin for 24 weeks. At 12 weeks posttreatment, 82 patients out of 123 (EVR 66.6%) had negative HCV RNA PCR while 85 patients out of 123 were HCV PCR negative at 24 weeks (ETR 69.1%). Conventional alpha-interferon ribavirin therapy should be discontinued in patients who are non responders at 12 weeks of treatment and be offered pegylated interferon to save time, money and minimize the side effects.