Hepatitis C virus (HCV) titres in the same individuals at baseline and after a period of abstinence
| Author | Subject No | Method | Duration of abstinence | Viral titres | p Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline | Abstinence | |||||
| Statistical analysis of the combined studies was not possible because none of the studies provided the mean and SD of change in viral load for individual subjects at baseline and after abstinence. | ||||||
| bDNA, branched DNA technique. bDNA results expressed as viral mEq/ml. | ||||||
| PCR, polymerase chain reaction assay; NA, not available; mo, months. | ||||||
| Takase13 | 9 | PCR | Unclear | NA | NA | HCV−ve in 4 of 8 |
| Sawada21 | 11 | bDNA | 4 weeks | NA | NA | HCV fell in 5 of 11 |
| Cromie23 | 12 | PCR | 4.4 (0.2) mo | NA | NA | 0.035 |
| Sata24 | 24 | bDNA | 30–90 days | 16.5×10 | 2.84×10 | 0.01 |
| Anand28 | 3 | bDNA | 6 mo | 108 (111.3) | 98 (78.7) | NS |