Brief Article
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World J Gastroenterol. Dec 14, 2013; 19(46): 8678-8686
Published online Dec 14, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i46.8678
Alanine aminotransferase normalization at week 8 predicts viral response during hepatitis C treatment
Umit Bilge Dogan, Mustafa Salih Akin, Serkan Yalaki
Umit Bilge Dogan, Mustafa Salih Akin, Serkan Yalaki, Departments of Gastroenterology, Adana Numune Training and Research Hospital, 01140 Adana, Turkey
Author contributions: Dogan UB designed the research and wrote the paper; Dogan UB, Akin MS and Yalaki S performed the research and analyzed the data.
Correspondence to: Umit Bilge Dogan, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Adana Numune Training and Research Hospital, Ege Bagtur Street, Yuregir, 01140 Adana, Turkey. ubdogan@hotmail.com
Telephone: +90-532-2280351 Fax: +90-322-2279578
Received: August 13, 2013
Revised: September 21, 2013
Accepted: September 29, 2013
Published online: December 14, 2013
Processing time: 126 Days and 10.7 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: Rapid virological response (RVR) has been acknowledged as a powerful on-treatment predictor of sustained virological response (SVR) in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C (CHC). However, RVR rates are relatively low and a new predictor is needed for CHC patients; especially those without RVR. In this context, on-treatment alanine aminotransferase (ALT) changes may be a new predictor for SVR. In this study, we found that ALT normalization at the 8 wk may be an important on-treatment predictor for CHC.