Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo (Jan 2016)

IMPACT OF THE PEGYLATED-INTERFERON AND RIBAVIRIN THERAPY ON THE TREATMENT-RELATED MORTALITY OF PATIENTS WITH CIRRHOSIS DUE TO HEPATITIS C VIRUS

  • Kelly Fernanda Nomura DRESCH,
  • Angelo Alves de MATTOS,
  • Cristiane Valle TOVO,
  • Fernanda Quadros de ONOFRIO,
  • Leandro CASAGRANDE,
  • Alberi Adolfo FELTRIN,
  • Iago Christofoli de BARROS,
  • Paulo Roberto Lerias de ALMEIDA

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1590/S1678-9946201658037
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 58, no. 0

Abstract

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Although the protease inhibitors have revolutionized the therapy of chronic hepatitis C (CHC), the concomitant use of pegylated-interferon (PEG-IFN) and ribavirin (RBV) is associated to a high rate of adverse effects. In this study, we evaluated the consequences of PEG-IFN and RBV and their relationship with mortality in patients with cirrhosis. METHODS: Medical records of CHC who underwent treatment with PEG-IFN and RBV in a public hospital in Brazil were evaluated. All the patients with cirrhosis were selected, and their clinical and laboratory characteristics, response to treatment, side effects and mortality were evaluated. RESULTS: From the 1,059 patients with CHC, 257 cirrhotic patients were evaluated. Of these, 45 (17.5%) achieved sustained viral response (SVR). Early discontinuation of therapy occurred in 105 (40.8%) patients, of which 39 (15.2%) were due to serious adverse effects. The mortality rate among the 257 cirrhotic patients was 4.3%, occurring in 06/242 (2.4%) of the Child-A, and in 05/15 (33.3%) of the Child-B patients. In conclusion, the treatment of patients with cirrhosis due to HCV with PEG-IFN and RBV shows a low SVR rate and a high mortality, especially in patients with liver dysfunction.

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