More than 10 million people are suffering from hepatitis C virus(HCV) in Pakistan,The available treatment option is a combination of interferon and ribavirin.Treatment response is linked with several factors and also ...More than 10 million people are suffering from hepatitis C virus(HCV) in Pakistan,The available treatment option is a combination of interferon and ribavirin.Treatment response is linked with several factors and also induces a number of side effects.We searched in Pubmed.Pak Medi Net and Coogle Scholar for the articles presenting the effect of interferon plus ribavirin therapy on HCV patients from Pakistan,their side effects and future prospects.The major prevalent HCV genotype in Pakistan is 3.Conventional interferon alpha plus ribavirin showed sustained virological response of 54%-64%while pegylaled interferon alpha plus ribavirin showed sustained virological response of 58%-75%.IL-28 B CC genotype is linked with better sustained virological response.Studies on patients with HCV genotype 3 infections showed no correlation between treatment response and interferon sensitivity determining region mutations.Interferon therapy is linked with a number of side effects like thyroid dysfuncton.hactnatological disorders,weight loss,gastrointestinal tract side effects and neuropsychiatric side effects.Unusual side effects of clubbing of fingers and seizures were also observed in a couple of patients.Interferon alpha plus ribavirin therapy showed better response rate in HCV genotype 3 patients from Pakistan with number of side effects.A couple of interferon free therapies are light of hope for the patients living with HCV.展开更多
Pakistan is a low income country with more than 10million hepatitis C virus(HCV)infections and the burden is on continuous raise.Accurate viral genotyping is very critical for proper treatment of the infected individu...Pakistan is a low income country with more than 10million hepatitis C virus(HCV)infections and the burden is on continuous raise.Accurate viral genotyping is very critical for proper treatment of the infected individuals as the sustained virological response of the standard antiviral interferon therapy is genotype dependent.We observed at our diagnostic center that15.6%of HCV patient’s samples were not genotypeable by using Ohno et al method.The genotyped samples showed that 3a(68.3%)is the major prevalent genotype in Pakistan followed by 2a(10.3%),3b(2.6%),1b(1.5%),2b(1.2%)and 1a(0.5%).Presence of large number of untypable HCV variants in the current study highlights an important issue of health care setup in Pakistan.Untypable HCV cases create difficulties in treatment of these patients.The problem of routine diagnostics setup of Pakistan should be addressed on priority basis to facilitate the medical professionals in patient’s treatment and to help in achieving the maximum sustained virological response.展开更多
Rationale: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2(SARS-CoV-2) has been recognized as highly pathogenic. The current pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 has been spread globally and infected more than 200 countries. Patien...Rationale: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2(SARS-CoV-2) has been recognized as highly pathogenic. The current pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 has been spread globally and infected more than 200 countries. Patient concerns: We report the first confirmed fatal case of COVID-19 in Pakistan. A 50-year-old man returned from Saudi Arabia on March 09, 2020 and presented with cough, fever, malaise, poor appetite and difficulty in breathing to the Pulmonologist at District Headquarter Hospital Mardan. Diagnosis: The patient was initially diagnosed as COVID-19 suspected case. A oropharyngeal swab sample was positive by realtime RT-PCR tests. Lessons: This report highlights the importance of close coordination between clinicians and public health authorities as well as the importance of early laboratory-based confirmation of COVID-19 cases.展开更多
文摘More than 10 million people are suffering from hepatitis C virus(HCV) in Pakistan,The available treatment option is a combination of interferon and ribavirin.Treatment response is linked with several factors and also induces a number of side effects.We searched in Pubmed.Pak Medi Net and Coogle Scholar for the articles presenting the effect of interferon plus ribavirin therapy on HCV patients from Pakistan,their side effects and future prospects.The major prevalent HCV genotype in Pakistan is 3.Conventional interferon alpha plus ribavirin showed sustained virological response of 54%-64%while pegylaled interferon alpha plus ribavirin showed sustained virological response of 58%-75%.IL-28 B CC genotype is linked with better sustained virological response.Studies on patients with HCV genotype 3 infections showed no correlation between treatment response and interferon sensitivity determining region mutations.Interferon therapy is linked with a number of side effects like thyroid dysfuncton.hactnatological disorders,weight loss,gastrointestinal tract side effects and neuropsychiatric side effects.Unusual side effects of clubbing of fingers and seizures were also observed in a couple of patients.Interferon alpha plus ribavirin therapy showed better response rate in HCV genotype 3 patients from Pakistan with number of side effects.A couple of interferon free therapies are light of hope for the patients living with HCV.
文摘Pakistan is a low income country with more than 10million hepatitis C virus(HCV)infections and the burden is on continuous raise.Accurate viral genotyping is very critical for proper treatment of the infected individuals as the sustained virological response of the standard antiviral interferon therapy is genotype dependent.We observed at our diagnostic center that15.6%of HCV patient’s samples were not genotypeable by using Ohno et al method.The genotyped samples showed that 3a(68.3%)is the major prevalent genotype in Pakistan followed by 2a(10.3%),3b(2.6%),1b(1.5%),2b(1.2%)and 1a(0.5%).Presence of large number of untypable HCV variants in the current study highlights an important issue of health care setup in Pakistan.Untypable HCV cases create difficulties in treatment of these patients.The problem of routine diagnostics setup of Pakistan should be addressed on priority basis to facilitate the medical professionals in patient’s treatment and to help in achieving the maximum sustained virological response.
文摘Rationale: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2(SARS-CoV-2) has been recognized as highly pathogenic. The current pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 has been spread globally and infected more than 200 countries. Patient concerns: We report the first confirmed fatal case of COVID-19 in Pakistan. A 50-year-old man returned from Saudi Arabia on March 09, 2020 and presented with cough, fever, malaise, poor appetite and difficulty in breathing to the Pulmonologist at District Headquarter Hospital Mardan. Diagnosis: The patient was initially diagnosed as COVID-19 suspected case. A oropharyngeal swab sample was positive by realtime RT-PCR tests. Lessons: This report highlights the importance of close coordination between clinicians and public health authorities as well as the importance of early laboratory-based confirmation of COVID-19 cases.
