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Peginterferon alfa-2b and ribavirin for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in blacks and non-Hispanic whites.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Muir, AJ; Bornstein, JD; Killenberg, PG; Atlantic Coast Hepatitis Treatment Group
Published in: N Engl J Med
May 27, 2004

BACKGROUND: Several small studies have reported a lower response rate to interferon alfa among black patients with chronic hepatitis C infection than among white patients. The increased prevalence of infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1, which has a lower response rate than other genotypes, has been suggested as the cause. METHODS: We treated 100 black patients and 100 non-Hispanic white patients with chronic hepatitis C with peginterferon alfa-2b and ribavirin for 48 weeks. Enrollment was controlled so that the two groups had similar proportions of patients with genotype 1 infection. The primary end point was a sustained virologic response, which was defined as a negative test for serum HCV RNA six months after the completion of therapy. RESULTS: In both cohorts, 98 percent of patients had genotype 1 infection. The rate of sustained virologic response was higher among non-Hispanic white patients than among black patients (52 percent vs.19 percent, P<0.001). The black patients also had significantly lower rates of virologic response at 12 weeks and at the end of treatment. Multivariable analyses examining sociodemographic and clinical characteristics found that black race was the only variable significantly associated with the difference in response rate. CONCLUSIONS: Black patients with chronic hepatitis C have a lower rate of response to treatment with peginterferon alfa-2b and ribavirin than non-Hispanic white patients, a difference that is not explained by differences in the viral genotype.

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Published In

N Engl J Med

DOI

EISSN

1533-4406

Publication Date

May 27, 2004

Volume

350

Issue

22

Start / End Page

2265 / 2271

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • White People
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • Ribavirin
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • RNA, Viral
  • Prospective Studies
  • Polyethylene Glycols
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Middle Aged
  • Male
 

Citation

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Chicago
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Muir, A. J., Bornstein, J. D., Killenberg, P. G., & Atlantic Coast Hepatitis Treatment Group. (2004). Peginterferon alfa-2b and ribavirin for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in blacks and non-Hispanic whites. N Engl J Med, 350(22), 2265–2271. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa032502
Muir, Andrew J., Jeffrey D. Bornstein, Paul G. Killenberg, and Atlantic Coast Hepatitis Treatment Group. “Peginterferon alfa-2b and ribavirin for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in blacks and non-Hispanic whites.N Engl J Med 350, no. 22 (May 27, 2004): 2265–71. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa032502.
Muir AJ, Bornstein JD, Killenberg PG, Atlantic Coast Hepatitis Treatment Group. Peginterferon alfa-2b and ribavirin for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in blacks and non-Hispanic whites. N Engl J Med. 2004 May 27;350(22):2265–71.
Muir, Andrew J., et al. “Peginterferon alfa-2b and ribavirin for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in blacks and non-Hispanic whites.N Engl J Med, vol. 350, no. 22, May 2004, pp. 2265–71. Pubmed, doi:10.1056/NEJMoa032502.
Muir AJ, Bornstein JD, Killenberg PG, Atlantic Coast Hepatitis Treatment Group. Peginterferon alfa-2b and ribavirin for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in blacks and non-Hispanic whites. N Engl J Med. 2004 May 27;350(22):2265–2271.

Published In

N Engl J Med

DOI

EISSN

1533-4406

Publication Date

May 27, 2004

Volume

350

Issue

22

Start / End Page

2265 / 2271

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • White People
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • Ribavirin
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • RNA, Viral
  • Prospective Studies
  • Polyethylene Glycols
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Middle Aged
  • Male