A statistical analysis of predictive factors of response to human lymphoblastoid interferon in patients with chronic hepatitis C

Objective: To determine markers predictive of effective interferon treatment for patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, we studied 80 Japanese patients treated for 6 months with natural interferon-α. Methods: Serum samples were tested for HCV RNA by two-stage polymerase chain reaction (PCR). HCV RNA were grouped into four genotypes by amplification of core-gene sequences by PCR with type-specific primers, and the level of HCV RNA was measured by competitive PCR. HCV RNA was detected in all patients before the interferon treatment. For the purposes of this study, a complete response was defined as the elimination of HCV RNA for at least 6 months after termination of the treatment