Hepatitis C Virus Treatment with Sofosbuvir Plus Ribavirin Regimen in Khuzestan Province

Abstract

Background: HCV is one of the most important causes of chronic liver disease and liver cirrhosis. This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of HCV treatment with sofosbuvir plus ribavirin regimen among HCV patients regardless of cirrhotics or relapse status in Khuzestan province. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, during a six-month period, all HCV patients including those who complicated with liver cirrhosis and/or experienced treatment failure were registered and treated with sofosbuvir 400 mg plus ribavirin for 24 weeks. Their viral load was controlled at weeks 0, 12, and 24, and followed every six months thereafter with PCR. Results: Overall, 93 cases were included. The average age of the participants was 46.1 ± 12.3 years (range: 27 to 80 years) and 66.7% were male. The most common genotypes were 1a (51.6%) and 3a (23.7%). At the end of the study period, 87 patients (93.5%) achieved SVR. 16 patients (17.2%) complained of minor side effects without any major complication. There was no significant relationship between the response to treatment and the age or sex of the participants, the type of HCV genotype, and the history of previous treatment (relapser or non-responder) (P < 0.05). 96.8% of the participants completed the course of therapy and 96.7% of them achieved SVR. There was no major complication during the study protocol but three patients did not complete the course of therapy due to the liver decompensation of CVA. Conclusions: It seems that a 24-week course of sofosbuvir plus ribavirin with ITT 93.5% and PP 96.7% is highly effective for the treatment of HCV even cirrhotics or relapsers in the southwest of Iran, with a high rate of safety profile even for the treatment of genotype 3a.