Weight loss with Interferon and Ribavirin therapy in Chronic Hepatitis C patients

Recommended treatment of chronic Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is interferon and ribavirin. Most patients develop side effects during treatment. Weight loss is one of the side effects of interferon therapy. Present study was conducted at Pakistan Medical and Research Centre (PMRC), Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Karachi from January 1998 - December 2010, to find out the frequency, extent of weight loss, its recovery after interferon therapy and the impact of weight loss on treatment response. Body weight was recorded on regular outpatient visits i.e initially, then at 1, 3 and 6 months of treatment and six months post treatment. Out of 260 patients, 176 (67.7%) observed statistically significant weight loss (p 0.05), on completion of therapy as compared to initial visit. Weight loss during interferon therapy was found to be independent of age, gender, treatment outcome, serum albumin, haemoglobin, white blood cell (WBC) and platelet count. Body weight returned to baseline within six months after completion of treatment in most cases