Baseline characteristics of patients according to the season of initiating hepatitis C virus treatment
| Season A n=421 | Season B n=509 | p Value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) mean±SD | 58.8±9.4 | 54.4±8.3 | 0.45 |
| Age >50 years, n (%) | 261 (62) | 333 (65.4) | 0.30 |
| Gender (male), n (%) | 277 (65.8) | 344 (67.5) | 0.57 |
| Body mass index* | |||
| ≤30 kg/m2 | 119 (78.8) | 143 (79) | 0.10 |
| >30 kg/m2 | 32 (21.2) | 38 (21) | |
| Diabetes mellitus, n (%) | 65 (12.8) | 65 (15.4) | 0.25 |
| HCV genotype | |||
| 1a, n (%) | 89 (21.1) | 118 (23.2) | 0.68 |
| 1b, n (%) | 283 (67.2) | 347 (68.2) | |
| Others, n (%) | 49 (11.6) | 44 (8.6) | |
| Low viral load (<600 000 UI), n (%) | 109 (26.2) | 111 (21.9) | 0.14 |
| Basal viral load IU, mean±SD | 2.459.627±4.553.883 | 3.383.240±5.406.573 | 0.006 |
| Log RNA, mean±SD | 6.06±0.60 | 6.18±0.65 | 0.007 |
| Fibrosis† | |||
| ≤F2, n (%) | 67 (12) | 66 (13) | 0.22 |
| ≥F3–F4, n (%) | 351 (84) | 438 (87) | |
| IL28B rs polymorphism CC, n (%)‡ | 69 (49.3) | 71 (50.7) | 0.29 |
| Previous treatment | |||
| Naïve, n (%) | 139 (33) | 160 (31) | 0.62 |
| Experienced, n (%) | 282 (67) | 349 (69) | |
| No response | 45 (16) | 70 (20.1) | |
| Early discontinuation | 13 (4.6) | 17 (4.9) | |
| Unknown response | 47 (16.7) | 83 (23.8) | |
| Relapse | 122 (43.3) | 120 (34.4) | |
| Partial response | 50 (17.7) | 48 (13.8) | |
| Breakthrough | 5 (1.8) | 11 (3.2) | |
| AST, UI, mean±SD | 78±51 | 82±54 | 0.32 |
| ALT, UI, mean±SD | 99±67 | 101±70 | 0.76 |
| GGT, UI, mean±SD | 109±96 | 101±88 | 0.19 |
*In 64% of the patients, body mass index was not calculated.
†In 8 (0.86%) patients, fibrosis degree was not available.
‡In 27% of the patients, ILB28 polymorphism was not available.
ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; GGT, γ-glutamyltransferase; HCV, hepatitis C virus.