BACKGROUND & AIMS: Acute hepatitis C infection progresses to chronic infection in up to 80% of infected persons. Reports from Europe indicate that early treatment of acute hepatitis C infection produces sustained virologic response rates as high as 80%-98%. However, the outcome of acute hepatitis C infection in United States cohorts is not well-characterized. METHODS: We describe the clinical course of 28 episodes of acute hepatitis C infection in 24 persons at our institution. RESULTS: Of the 28 infections, 7 episodes resolved spontaneously. Of the remaining 21 episodes, 16 were treated, and 5 did not receive treatment. Of the 16 treated episodes, 4 received interferon and ribavirin, 11 received pegylated interferon and ribavirin, and 1 was treated initially with interferon monotherapy followed by pegylated interferon monotherapy. Among those episodes treated with interferon, 3 of 4 experienced sustained virologic response. Among those episodes treated with pegylated interferon, all 12 achieved SVR. In total, 15 of 16 treated patients (94%) experienced SVR. In all, 18 of the 24 patients (75%) experienced spontaneous or treatment-induced sustained virologic clearance. CONCLUSIONS: Our experience with treated and untreated acute HCV infection is comparable to that observed in Europe. Patients treated with antiviral therapy had an excellent response. Randomized trials to investigate immediate versus delayed treatment of acute hepatitis C infection are warranted. In view of these strongly positive outcomes, increased vigilance for acute hepatitis C becomes essential.
BACKGROUND & AIMS:Acute hepatitis C infection progresses to chronic infection in up to 80% of infected persons. Reports from Europe indicate that early treatment of acute hepatitis C infection produces sustained virologic response rates as high as 80%-98%. However, the outcome of acute hepatitis C infection in United States cohorts is not well-characterized. METHODS: We describe the clinical course of 28 episodes of acute hepatitis C infection in 24 persons at our institution. RESULTS: Of the 28 infections, 7 episodes resolved spontaneously. Of the remaining 21 episodes, 16 were treated, and 5 did not receive treatment. Of the 16 treated episodes, 4 received interferon and ribavirin, 11 received pegylated interferon and ribavirin, and 1 was treated initially with interferon monotherapy followed by pegylated interferon monotherapy. Among those episodes treated with interferon, 3 of 4 experienced sustained virologic response. Among those episodes treated with pegylated interferon, all 12 achieved SVR. In total, 15 of 16 treated patients (94%) experienced SVR. In all, 18 of the 24 patients (75%) experienced spontaneous or treatment-induced sustained virologic clearance. CONCLUSIONS: Our experience with treated and untreated acute HCV infection is comparable to that observed in Europe. Patients treated with antiviral therapy had an excellent response. Randomized trials to investigate immediate versus delayed treatment of acute hepatitis C infection are warranted. In view of these strongly positive outcomes, increased vigilance for acute hepatitis C becomes essential.
Authors: Alberto Larghi; Massimo Zuin; Andrea Crosignani; Maria Lisa Ribero; Cristina Pipia; Pier Maria Battezzati; Giorgio Binelli; Francesco Donato; Alessandro Remo Zanetti; Mauro Podda; Alessandro Tagger Journal: Hepatology Date: 2002-10 Impact factor: 17.425
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Authors: Harald Hofer; Thomas Watkins-Riedel; Oskar Janata; Edward Penner; Heidemarie Holzmann; Petra Steindl-Munda; Alfred Gangl; Peter Ferenci Journal: Hepatology Date: 2003-01 Impact factor: 17.425
Authors: Julio Granados-Montiel; Joaquin Zúñiga; Jose Azocar; Edmond J Feris; Daniel Terreros; Charles E Larsen; Olga P Clavijo; Alfredo Cruz-Lagunas; Derek Middleton; Chester A Alper; Janardan P Pandey; Edmond J Yunis Journal: Immunobiology Date: 2010-11-05 Impact factor: 3.144
Authors: Thomas F Kresina; Diana Sylvestre; Leonard Seeff; Alain H Litwin; Kenneth Hoffman; Robert Lubran; H Westley Clark Journal: Subst Abuse Date: 2008-04-28
Authors: Lia L Lewis-Ximenez; Georg M Lauer; Julian Schulze Zur Wiesch; Paulo Sergio Fonseca de Sousa; Cleber F Ginuino; Gláucia Paranhos-Baccalá; Hanno Ulmer; Karl P Pfeiffer; Georg Goebel; João Luiz Pereira; Jaqueline Mendes de Oliveira; Clara Fumiko Tachibana Yoshida; Elisabeth Lampe; Carlos Eduardo Velloso; Marcelo Alves Pinto; Henrique Sergio Coelho; Adilson José Almeida; Carlos Augusto Fernandes; Arthur Y Kim; Alexander M Strasak Journal: Clin Infect Dis Date: 2010-05-01 Impact factor: 9.079
Authors: R Loomba; M M Rivera; R McBurney; Y Park; V Haynes-Williams; B Rehermann; H J Alter; S K Herrine; T J Liang; J H Hoofnagle; T Heller Journal: Aliment Pharmacol Ther Date: 2010-12-29 Impact factor: 8.171
Authors: Julian Schulze Zur Wiesch; Georg M Lauer; Joerg Timm; Thomas Kuntzen; Martin Neukamm; Andrew Berical; Andrea M Jones; Brian E Nolan; Steve A Longworth; Victoria Kasprowicz; Cory McMahon; Alysse Wurcel; Ansgar W Lohse; Lia L Lewis-Ximenez; Raymond T Chung; Arthur Y Kim; Todd M Allen; Bruce D Walker Journal: Blood Date: 2007-05-02 Impact factor: 22.113