Linked Life Data

16232013

Source:http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/id/16232013

Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
10 Suppl
pubmed:dateCreated
2005-10-19
pubmed:abstractText
Combination therapy with peginterferon alfa and ribavirin now eliminates detectable hepatitis C virus (HCV) from the blood of more than half of patients with long-term infections. However, many of those infected with HCV have low rates of response to therapy and/or are more susceptible to drug side effects that limit adherence to therapy. African Americans with HCV, for example, tend to be more difficult to cure with drug therapy. Individuals coinfected with both human immunodeficiency virus and HCV are also more difficult to treat. As managed care organizations begin offering anti-HCV therapy to a broader range of patients, special strategies for limiting medication side effects and enhancing overall clinical and economic outcomes will become more important. In particular, assessing the early virologic response to therapy at 12 weeks can help clinicians identify patients who are highly likely to be responsive at the end of the full course, while also identifying likely nonresponders--who can be taken off therapy and thereby avoid unnecessary side effects and costs. In all patients remaining on therapy, efforts to boost adherence will also enhance the overall rate of sustained virologic response. Special attention should be paid to managing depression and cytopenias with patient education and either dose reduction or use of hematopoietic growth factors. These 2 basic treatment strategies--of stopping treatment early or, alternatively, of pressing for full patient compliance over the full course of therapy--are flip sides of the same management coin that health plans and clinicians can employ to optimize results and cost effectiveness with the current standard of therapy for chronic HCV infection.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
H
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Oct
pubmed:issn
1088-0224
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
11
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
S296-306; quiz S307-11
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2005
pubmed:articleTitle
Treatment issues with chronic hepatitis C: special populations and pharmacy strategies.
pubmed:affiliation
Saint Louis University, Division of Gastroenterology; 3635 Vista Ave,St. Louis, MO 63110-2539, USA. baconbr@slu.edu
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Review