Detection of hepatitis C virus RNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in patients with chronic hepatitis C after treatment with Interferon

Despite recent success after the introduction of combination therapy with peginterferon alpha 2(a or b) and ribavirin, approximately 60% of patients with genotype 4 fail to respond. Resistance to antiviral therapy remains a serious problem in the management of chronic hepatitis C.Relapse after therapeutic eradication of HCV is also a serious problem as SVR rate for genotype 4 is only 50%. Patients “cured” after antiviral treatment with persistent viral response may have occult HCV infection in liver or PBMCs. Thus HCV in PBMCs may be one of the causes of relapse after antiviral therapy. Perhaps clearance of HCV RNA in PBMCs is a predictor of persistent response to antiviral therapy and is a reference to formulate the duration of antiviral therapy in chronic hepatitis C.