STUDY TO KNOW TREATMENT RELATED TO ANEMIA IN CHRONIC HEPATITIS C PATIENTS TAKING COMBINATION THERAPY OF RIBAVIRIN AND PEGYLATED INTERFERON ALPHA

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of treatment-related anemia in chronic hepatitis C patients receiving ribavirin and pegylated interferon alpha in combination therapy. Study design: A descriptive cross-sectional survey. Place and Duration: In the Medical Unit II of Benazir Bhutto Hospital Rawalpindi for One year duration from September 2017 to September 2018. Methods: A total of 50 subjects with hepatitis C in chronic stage were nominated for interferon-alpha and ribavirin at standard doses for 24 weeks. Results: During the study period, the majority of the patients were between 41 and 50 years of age, ie 32% (n = 16), and the mean and standard deviation were 38.33 + 4.60, and 38% (n =19) were male and 62% (n = 31) were female. The treatment given for 2 weeks, the incidence of treatment-induced anemia was 24% (n = 12) and they were anemic. Conclusion: The frequency of treatment-related anemia in chronic hepatitis C patients treated with ribavirin and pegylated interferon alpha in the 2nd week of treatment suggests significant anemia. Key words: Anemia, ribavirin and pegylated interferon alpha combination therapy, chronic hepatitis C