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Alpha-Interferon Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C: Need for Accurate Diagnosis in Selecting Patients
- Martin Black, MD; and
- Marion Peters, MD
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Temple University School of Medicine
Philadelphia, PA 19140 -
Washington University School of Medicine
St. Louis, MO 63110
Excerpt
For two decades, therapy for viral hepatitis has included alpha-interferon, but only this year was the drug licensed for treatment of chronic non-A, non-B hepatitis. The licensing of the drug for use in patients with non-A, non-B hepatitis, rather than only in those with a specific diagnosis of hepatitis C (HCV), reflects both state-of-the-art knowledge of HCV testing with the commercially available test for antibodies to HCV (anti-HCV) (70% to 80% positive in "high-risk" populations; that is, those with risk factors for non-A, non-B hepatitis infection) as well as the possibility that there are "non-A, non-B, non-C" viruses yet to
This 100-word excerpt has been provided in the absence of an abstract.
Article and Author Information
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Requests for Reprints: Martin Black, MD, Temple University School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, 3420 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19140.
