Summary
On-therapy decline or normalization of liver enzyme levels is often observed following initiation of interferon-based hepatitis C virus (HCV) antiviral treatment and may reflect response to therapy and decreasing HCV RNA levels (1,2). On-treatment alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level elevation may be associated with persistent viremia (3–5). The value of enzymatic response in predicting sustained virological response (SVR) and relapse is unclear.
We evaluated the role of baseline and week 4 ALT and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels in predicting HCV response to interferon-based antiviral therapy. A retrospective database analysis of 434 adults with HCV initiating therapy at The Ottawa Hospital Viral Hepatitis Clinic (Ottawa, Ontario) between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2009 was conducted (Research Ethics Board number 2004–196).
Countries: Canada
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