Author/Authors :
M.J., Saffar mazandaran university of medical sciences - Department of Paediatric Infectious Diseases, ساري, ايران , Saffar, H. mazandaran university of medical sciences - Department of Paediatric Infectious Diseases, ساري, ايران , Khalilian, A.R. mazandaran university of medical sciences - Department of Statistics, ساري, ايران , Naqshvar, F. mazandaran university of medical sciences - Department of Pathology, ساري, ايران
Abstract :
Treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in transfusion-dependent betathalassaemiamajor patients is complicated by existing hepatic siderosis and the fear of ribavirinassociatedhaemolysis. We evaluated the efficacy and side-effects of combination interferon-α (INF)and ribavirin therapy for HCV-infected thalassaemia patients. A total of 17 patients were enrolled (10nonresponders to INF monotherapy, 7 naive to treatment, mean age 23.1 years) and they received 12months of combination therapy. The sustained virological response rate 6 months after treatment was58.8%. Blood transfusion requirements during treatment temporarily increased by 36.6%. Combinationtherapy was tolerated by, and may be useful for, HCV-infected thalassaemia major patients
