Antiviral Therapy for Hepatitis C

Current treatment for hepatitis C virus infection consists of pegylated interferon and ribavirin. The most important predictors of response to antiviral therapy for HCV include genotype 2 or 3 infection, baseline viral load less than 2 million copies/mL, and the absence of cirrhosis. Hepatitis C genotype and viral load should be obtained prior to initiating therapy. Liver biopsy can be used to stage the liver disease, to provide prognostic information, and to evaluate for coexisting causes of liver injury. Patients with genotype 1 infection require 48 weeks of therapy and a ribavirin dosage of 1000 to 1200 mg/d to achieve an optimal response. Patients with genotype 2 or 3 infection require only 24 weeks of treatment and a ribavirin dose of 800 mg/d. Treatment may be discontinued in patients who do not have a 100-fold reduction in hepatitis C virus RNA level from baseline at week 12 because they are unlikely to achieve a sustained response with further therapy. Patients with cirrhosis and hepatic decompensation or a small hepatocellular carcinoma should be evaluated for liver transplantation.