Via practica 5/2005

HEPATITIS C – NEWS IN THE TREATMENT

Hepatitis C is a problem which deserves multilevel approach – from an individual to the global corporations. The reason is the prevalence of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and the variable consequences of this infection: suffering of the infected person, which far exceeds the normal physical discomfort, fear of the patients relatives from the infection (contributes to the suffering of the patient), costs for the diagnostics and treatment and consequences (beared by the society), social and economic consequences of the losses of lives in productive age etc. The news in the treatment of most of the patients with hepatitis C were not revolutionary in the last couple of years, recent new drugs in the standard treatment are pegylated interferon alfa and ribavirin, available also in Slovakia. Deeper analysis of the cohort studies with HCV infection and closer specification of the treatment regimes for its smaller spectra - could be described as an effort for individualisation of the treatment (tailoring) brings a lot of news: adjustment of the treatment to the specific genotype of HCV, amount of HCV, presence or absence of the early virological response, acuteness of the infection, demographic, antropometric and clinical chracteristics of the patient, his wish to be treated etc. Authors tend to hold on to the recent standard guidlines in the article. The most expected news in Slovakia is the acceptance of the recent standard diagnostic and treatment guidelines by all the involved parties. The goal is to relieve the patients suffering from the clinical consequences of the HCV infection.

Keywords: hepatitis C – treatment.