Treatment of chronic hepatitis C in non-responsive patients with pegylated interferon associated with ribavirin and thalidomide: report of six cases of total remission Tratamento de hepatite C crônica em pacientes não respondedores, com a associação interferon peguilado, ribavirina e talidomida: Relato de seis casos

• Main Author: Marcos Montani Caseiro
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade de São Paulo 2006-04-01
• Series: Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo
• Subjects: Hepatitis C; Thalidomide
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0036-46652006000200011

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is an important public health issue worldwide. It is estimated that over 170 million people are infected with the virus. The present study reports six cases in which patients did not respond to combination therapy with pegylated interferon and ribavirin. However, after the addition of thalidomide to the therapy, the patients presented negative RNA PCR. The use of thalidomide combined with pegylated interferon and ribavirin for the treatment of hepatitis C is described here for the first time in the related literature.<br>A infecção pelo vírus da Hepatite C (HCV) representa um importante problema de saúde pública no mundo, estima-se que mais de 170 milhões de pessoas estejam infectadas. Relatamos o encontro de 6 pacientes não respondedores à associação de Interferon Peguilado e Ribavirina que negativaram seu PCRRNA após a associação com talidomida. Trata-se do primeiro relato desta associação no tratamento da hepatite C encontrado na literatura.