| Theme | An Update on Hepatitis C Treatment | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Antiviral Therapy for Acute Hepatitis C | |
| Publish Date | 2003/11 | |
| Author | Kei Ogata | Second Department of Medicine, Kurume University School of Medicine |
| Author | Tatsuya Ide | Second Department of Medicine, Kurume University School of Medicine |
| Author | Ryukichi Kumashiro | Second Department of Medicine, Kurume University School of Medicine |
| Author | Michio Sata | Second Department of Medicine, Kurume University School of Medicine |
| [ Summary ] | There are various infectious routes for acute hepatitis C. Our patients with acute hepatitis C had exposure from the following infectious routes: medical procedures (31%), needle stick (26%), drug use (11%), sexual contact (9%) and unknown routes (23%). It is important when we see patients with acute hepatitis C to clarify routes of infection. Particular attention should be paid to infection by drug use, because it may play an important role in clusters of infection among this group. The natural course of HCV infection is chronic, however, appropriate therapy may prevent this chronicity. By using interferon (IFN), we achieved complete response in over 90% of cases in the acute phase. Both total doseage of IFN and wether or not the patient is in the acute phase are important factors for leading to successful treatment. The effective doseage of IFN was thought to be at least 336x106U. | |