Abstract :
Infection of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a chief reason of liver diseases globally. The oral direct acting antivirals (DAAs) introduction has significantly increased the possibility of achieving SVR and preventing hepatic decompensation. We aimed to evaluate the role of viral load in week 2 after end of treatment (SVR 2) as a predictor to sustained virological response at week 12 (SVR 12). This study included 200 patients receiving Sofosbuvir plus Daclatasvir for chronic HCV treatment recruited from Kasr Alainy Viral hepatitis Centre (KVHC) and from police hospitals, recruited from March 2017- March 2018, patients of this study were further classified according to previous HCV treatments into naïve group (186 patients) and experienced group (14 patients). Hepatitis C virus RNA had been measured by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (quantitative) two weeks after stoppage of treatment (SVR 2) and compared to that 3 months after stoppage of treatment (SVR 12). Of 200 patients with chronic HCV receiving Sofosbuvir plus Daclatasvir for treatment, two patients (1%) were not responded to treatment and were positive at SVR2, so, 198 patients (99%) achieved SVR 2. Another two patients didn’t achieve SVR 12 (2%) (relapsers), so, 196 patients (98%) achieved SVR 12. SVR 2 can predict SVR 12, but can’t replace it. SVR12 is more reliable in evaluation of virological response after treatment. Sofosbuvir and daclatasvir showed a highly safety profile in treating HCV patients and well tolerability.
