APRI as a predictor of early viral response in chronic hepatitis C patients

AIM:To evaluate the aspartate aminotransferase(AST) to platelet ratio index(APRI) as a predictive factor of early viral response in chronic hepatitis C naive patients.METHODS:We performed an ambispective case-control study.We enrolled chronic hepatitis C naive patients who were evaluated to start therapy with PEGylated interferon α-2b(1.5 μg/kg per week) and ribavirin(>75 kg:1200mg and <75kg:1000mg).Patients were allocated into two groups,group 1:Hepatitis C patients with early viral response(EVR),group 2:Patients without EVR.Odds ratio(OR) and 95% confi dence interval(CI) were calculated to assess the relationship between each risk factor and the EVR in both groups.RESULTS:During the study,80 patients were analyzed,45 retrospectively and 35 prospectively.The mean ± SD age of our subjects was 42.9 ± 12 years;weight 70 kg(±11.19),AST 64.6 IU/mL(±48.74),alanine aminotransferase(ALT) 76.3 IU/mL(±63.08) and platelets 209000 mill/mm3(±84 429).Fifty-five(68.8%) were genotype 1 and 25(31.3%) were genotype 2 or 3;the mean hepatitis C virus RNA viral load was 2 269 061 IU/mL(±7220266).In the univariate analysis,APRI was not associated with EVR [OR 0.61(95% CI 0.229-1.655,P=0.33)],and the absence of EVR was only associated with genotype 1 [OR 0.28(95% CI 0.08-0.94,P=0.034)].After adjustment in a logistic regression model,genotype 1 remains signifi cant.CONCLUSION:APRI was not a predictor of EVR in chronic hepatitis C;Genotype 1 was the only predictive factor associated with the absence of EVR in our patients.