BACKGROUND Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a global public health issue. Adequate treatment for hepatitis C patients is important, but anticipated side effects make patients fearful of receiving treatment. Little is known about the experiences of hepatitis C patients who have completed treatment with pegylated interferon and ribavirin. The purpose of this study was to explore the experienc...

There are seven approved treatments for adults with chronic hepatitis B virus infection in the United States and European countries: interferon-α, pegylated interferon-α, lamivudine, adefovir dipivoxil, entecavir, telbivudine, and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate. At present, two new analogues, entecavir and tenofovir are recommended as the first line therapy by the guidelines of European Associat...

The standard treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV), combination therapy with pegylated interferon alfa and ribavirin, has limited efficacy, poor tolerability, and significant expense. New treatment options that are more potent and less toxic are desperately needed. Anecdotal reports suggest that many people with HCV are choosing—often based on the advice of their doctors— to defer treatment due...

BACKGROUND Interferon alfa is used widely for patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Little is known, however, of the relationship between patients' sex and the effectiveness of interferon alfa treatment in these patients. METHODS We treated 311 patients (199 men and 112 women) with human lymphoblastoid interferon (6 million units subcutaneously every day for 2 weeks and 3 t...

Treatment of naive patients with chronic hepatitis C has already been reviewed in international consensus meetings [1, 2]. The first consensus was held in Paris and standard interferon in combination with ribavirin was judged to be the best treatment for naive patients [1]. Later in 2002 the National Institutes of Health (NIH) consensus meeting stated that pegylated interferon in combination wi...

AIMS To compare interferon monotherapy with its combination with lamivudine for hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive hepatitis B treatment. METHODS Two independent researchers identified pertinent randomized controlled trials. The trials were evaluated for methodological quality and heterogeneity. Rates of sustained virological and biochemical responses, and HBeAg clearance and seroconversi...

OBJECTIVE To determine the therapeutic efficacy of interferon alfa-2a in the treatment of Behçet disease. DESIGN A randomized placebo-controlled and double-blind study. SETTING University referral center. PATIENTS Fifty patients with Behçet disease were involved in the study. INTERVENTION The patients were given interferon alfa-2a, 6 x 10(6) IU, subcutaneously 3 times per week or placeb...

OBJECTIVE To test the effect of interferon alfa and tribavirin (ribavirin) in patients with rabies encephalitis. DESIGN An open trial of chemotherapy and intensive care in patients with early rabies. SETTING The intensive care unit of a Bangkok hospital. PATIENTS Four conscious men with clinical rabies encephalitis. INTERVENTIONS Rapid virological diagnosis of rabies. Treatment with int...

OBJECTIVE To assess the efficacy and safety of interferon alfa with or without ribavirin for treatment of chronic hepatitis C. DESIGN Systematic review of randomised trials on interferon alfa plus ribavirin combination therapy versus interferon alfa. Patients were naive (not previously treated with interferon), relapsers (transient response to previous interferon therapy), or non-responders (...

BACKGROUND Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is frequently associated with the presence of serum autoantibodies. The prevalence and clinical relevance of serum autoantibodies in CHC patients and their influence on antiviral treatment have not been well established. METHODS From February 1999 to July 2004, 460 consecutive adult patients with CHC were studied. Antinuclear antibody (ANA) and smooth musc...