[Toxicity of the treatment of chronic hepatitis C with peginterferon alpha (2a or 2b) plus ribavirin in patients not previously treated].

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The adverse reactions (ADR) derived from the treatment of hepatitis C with peginterferon alpha and ribavirin causes dose reductions and discontinuations of the treatment that compromise its efectiveness. The aims of this study are to determine the ADR that the patients have presented according to the type of peginterferon alpha, and the effect of these in treatment duration and accumulated dose.

PATIENTS AND METHOD: Cohort, prospective and longitudinal study (from November 2002 to April 2006), with monoinfected patients not previously treated (group A: peginterferon alpha-2a plus ribavirin; group B: peginterferon alpha-2b plus ribavirin).

RESULTS: Group A: 93 patients; group B: 115. Hematologyc ADR: neutropenia, 24% vs. 26.90%; anemia: 12.50% vs. 9.60%. Not hematologyc ADR: fatigue, 73.10% vs 74.80%; fever (> 38 degrees C), 81.70% vs 86.10%. Permanency in treatment < 80%: 18.3% in group A patients vs. 9.5% in group B patients. Accumulated dose of peginterferon < 80%: 13.9% in group A patients vs. 11.3% in group B patients.

CONCLUSIONS: We haven't found differences in the safety profile of both peginterferons, though the patients treated with peginterferon alpha-2b shows a higher permanency in the treatment and a percentage of total received doses > 80% of the theoretical ones.