Treatment of patients with chronic Hepatitis C with normal liver enzymes

OBJECTIVE: This is a controlled prospective study to evaluate the efficacy of induction combination therapy using alpha-interferon and ribavirin in patients with chronic hepatitis C and persistently normal liver enzymes.

METHODS: Forty-six patients with compensated liver disease tested positive for hepatitis C virus antibody between October 1998 and August 2000 at King Abdulaziz University Hospital and Al-Badriyah Towers, Jeddah Clinics, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Twelve patients had persistently normal liver enzymes for 6 months and 34 patients with abnormal liver enzymes (control). Patients were treated using induction combination therapy. Viral load response was measured using branched deoxyribonucleic acid signal amplification test.

RESULTS: Ten patients with normal liver enzymes (Group A) and 30 patients with abnormal liver enzymes (Group B) were included. End of treatment response in Group A was 90% as compared to 60% in group B; sustained virologic response in group A was 40% as compared to 43.3% in Group B.

CONCLUSION: Response rate to induction combination therapy with alpha-interferon and ribavirin in patients with normal liver enzymes was similar to that in those with increase liver enzymes.