Title of article
The optimal dose of ribavirin for chronic hepatitis C: From literature evidence to clinical practice
Author/Authors
Abenavoli, Ludovico Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine - University Magna Gracia of Catanzaro - Catanzaro, Italy , Mazza, Marta Gastrointestinal and Liver Units - DI.BI.M.I.S - Policlinico, University of Palermo - Palermo, Italy , L. Almasio, Piero Gastrointestinal and Liver Units - DI.BI.M.I.S - Policlinico, University of Palermo - Palermo, Italy
Pages
7
From page
240
To page
246
Abstract
Approximately 170 million people worldwide are chronically infected by hepatitis C
virus (HCV), which can result in progressive hepatic injury and fibrosis, culminating
in cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease. The benchmark therapy for untreated HCV patients
is a combination of pegylated interferon-alpha (PEG-IFN) and ribavirin (RBV).
Several studies have suggested several potential new approaches to improve HCV therapy—
optimization of the dose and duration of RBV therapy, accompanied by careful
clinical management, is crucial in ensuring the greatest likelihood of a long response
to therapy. RBV causes serious side effects, but in clinical practice, there are no alternatives
for the treatment of HCV infection. Based on our results, weight-based doses of
RBV are advantageous for genotype 1-infected patients, but its success in genotype
Keywords
Hepatitis C virus , Ribavirin , dose-response
Journal title
Astroparticle Physics
Serial Year
2011
Record number
2424179
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