Baseline characteristics of the patients
| Values are mean (SD) or No (%). | |
| *21 patients received a course of 5 MU of IFN daily. | |
| †Assessed in 409 patients. | |
| ‡3 mega units three times weekly for six months. | |
| PLT, platelets; ULN, upper limit of normal; ALT, alanine transaminase; HCV, hepatitis C virus; IFN, α interferon; MU, mega units; tiw, three times weekly. | |
| n | 581 |
| Men (No (%)) | 386 (66.4) |
| Mean age (y) | 45.9 (10.8) |
| Mean PLT (103/mm3) | 172.5 (54.6) |
| Mean γ-glutamyltransferase (ULN) | 1.68 (1.48) |
| Mean ALT (ULN) | 3.17 (2.19) |
| HCV genotype (No (%)) | |
| 1 | 311 (53.5) |
| 2 | 150 (25.8) |
| 3 | 55 (9.4) |
| 4 | 28 (4.8) |
| Mixed or other | 37 (6.3) |
| Serum HCV-RNA† | |
| No of copies/ml | 2×106 (6.9×106) |
| ≥2×106 copies/ml (No (%)) | 68 (11.7) |
| Liver biopsy (No (%)) | |
| Chronic hepatitis (Metavir F1 to F3) | |
| Metavir A1-A2 | 250 (43) |
| Metavir A3-A4 | 267 (45.9) |
| Cirrhosis (Metavir F4) | 64 (11) |
| First IFN course (No (%)) | |
| Standard dose (234 MU)‡ | 383 (65.9) |
| Medium dose (>234–468 MU) | 130 (22.3) |
| High dose (>468 MU) | 68 (11.7) |
| Mean total dose (MU) | 295.8 (236.4) |
| Second IFN course (No (%)) | |
| Therapeutic regimens (total dose): | |
| 3 MU tiw for 6 months (234 MU) | 84 (14.4) |
| 5 MU tiw for 6 months (390 MU) | 55 (9.4)* |
| 6 MU tiw for 6 months (468 MU) | 86 (14.8) |
| 3 MU tiw for 12 months (468 MU) | 135 (23.2) |
| 5 MU tiw for 12 months (780 MU) | 137 (23.5) |
| 6 MU tiw for 12 months (936 MU) | 84 (14.4) |
| Mean total dose (MU) | 544.3 (265.1) |
| Length of retreatment (No (%)) | |
| 6 months | 225 (38.7) |
| 12 months | 356 (61.3) |
| Type of IFN for retreatment | |
| Recombinant α2b | 529 (91.1) |
| Leucocytic αN-3 | 33 (5.7) |