Abstract
Objective. Only a small fraction of patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) positive mixed cryoglobulinemia achieve longterm recovery after interferon (IFN) therapy; we evaluated the effectiveness and safety of combination therapy (interferon plus ribavirin) in nonresponders or those who relapsed after one or more courses of IFN. Methods. Twenty-seven patients with HCV positive mixed cryoglobulinemia were studied. All were treated with IFN-α2b (3 MU 3 times weekly) for one year, plus daily oral ribavirin 1000 or 1200 mg. Results. Five patients (18.5%) obtained complete recovery from viral infection and from all signs and symptoms of disease. During treatment, most patients (85%) improved clinically. All 5 responders were "relapsers" to the first treatment(s). Conclusion. Combination therapy of IFN plus ribavirin could be useful for patients with mixed cryoglobulinemia resistant to IFN as monotherapy.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1775-1781 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Journal of Rheumatology |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| Publication status | Published - Aug 1 2003 |
Keywords
- α-Interferon
- Hepatitis C virus
- Mixed cryoglobulinemia
- Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
- Ribavirin
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Immunology
- Rheumatology