Sustained virological response to pegylated interferon and ribavirin is maintained during long-term follow-up of chronic hepatitis C patients

Aliment Pharmacol Ther 31, 502–508 Summary Background There are few data in the literature regarding the long-term virological follow-up of chronic hepatitis C patients who obtain sustained virological response (SVR) to pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) and ribavirin therapy. Aim To assess the durability of SVR to PEG-IFN and ribavirin therapy during long-term follow-up of chronic hepatitis C patients. Methods We evaluated a cohort of 231 chronic hepatitis C patients who had at least 48 weeks of follow-up after SVR to PEG-IFN and ribavirin treatment. Median duration of follow-up after SVR was 164 weeks, and exceeded 5 years in 30% of the cohort. Patients underwent consistent clinical, biochemical and virological evaluations every 6 months during follow-up. Results Sustained virological response was maintained in 211 patients (91%) while HCV-RNA became positive in two patients (