Keywords
hepatitis C
Hispanics
treatment response
Hispanics
treatment response
How to Cite
Iturrino, J., Sánchez, C. J., Ortiz, A., Romero, C. J., Velázquez, V., Costas, P., & Torres, E. A. (2011). Outcomes of an Underserved Hispanic Population with Chronic Hepatitis C treated with Pegylated-Interferon and Ribavirin in a Government-Sponsored Clinic. Puerto Rico Health Sciences Journal, 30(1). Retrieved from https://prhsj.rcm.upr.edu/index.php/prhsj/article/view/513
Abstract
Objective: Treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) with interferon-based therapy has been shown to be less effective in Hispanics when compared to other populations. A pilot clinic was established at the University of Puerto Rico for the treatment of HCV in the government-insured population. The aim of this study was to describe the outcomes and treatment response to pegylated interferon and ribavirin in treatmentnaïve patients enrolled at this government sponsored clinic. Methods: A retrospective analysis was undertaken to investigate the treatment outcomes with weight based peg-interferon-alfa-2b and ribavirin in patients with chronic HCV enrolled in the pilot clinic during 2003-2005. Descriptive statistics were reported. Continuous variables were summarized as means and standard deviations. Frequency distributions and percents were used for categorical variables. Statistical analysis was performed using STATA. Results: A total of 155 patients (105 males and 50 females) with mean age of 42 years started treatment; 79 (51%) patients had HCV genotype 1. Completion of treatment was achieved by 59 patients (38.1%), of whom end of treatment response (ETR) was observed in 30 (50.9%), representing 19.4% of the intention-totreat population (ITT). Sustained viral response (SVR) was achieved in 17 (28.8%) patients who completed treatment, resulting in 11% (17/155) SVR by ITT. The only significant predictor of SVR was treatment onset within 5 years of the diagnosis of HCV (p=0.026). Although no association was found between HCV genotype and SVR (p=0.192), those patients with HCV genotypes 2 and 3 were more likely to complete treatment (p=0.009). Conclusion: SVR to pegylated interferon and ribavirin seems to be lower than expected in our population. The high rate of incomplete treatment surpasses previously reported rates in U.S. Latinos and Caucasians. Further studies should explore reasons for lower response and higher treatment discontinuation in our population.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
a. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
b. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
c. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).