The aims of this study were to evaluate the benefits usual dose and duration, that is, at 3 MU three times per of higher doses or of longer duration in comparison with week for 6 months, versus a control group in terms of alanine a standard interferon regimen (3 MU three times per transaminase (ALT) response rate, sustained response rate, week for 6 months) in chronic hepatitis C, and to assess and histological improvement?; and 2) Is an increase in the the efficacy of interferon in acute hepatitis C. Meta-analduration or dose associated with an increase in interferon ysis made use of the Peto et al. and the Der Simonian efficacy in comparison with the usual regimen? For acute and Laird methods, with heterogeneity and sensitivity hepatitis C, the aim was to assess whether interferon was analyses. In chronic hepatitis, a total of 17 trials versus effective compared with absence of treatment. controls and of 16 trials comparing different interferon regimens were included. Standard regimen, 3 MU three MATERIALS AND METHODS times per week for 6 months, was associated with an increase of the complete alanine transaminase (ALT) re-Meta-analyses were conducted according to a predetermined prosponse rate and sustained (ALT) response rate by 45% tocol following the recommendations of Sacks et al., 2 but were not (95% confidence interval: 35% to 55%; P Γ΅ .001) and 21% limited to the English-language RCTs. (13% to 28%; P Γ΅ .001), respectively, with the natural Literature Search. Medline and manual searches were combined, because we had previously demonstrated that the Medline search course being less than 2% of spontaneous responses.
alone is not sensitive enough. 3 The key words ''chronic hepatitis non-There was a significant dose effect (6 vs. 3 MU three A non-B, non-C clinical trials'' were used. General reviews, references times per week) upon the sustained response rate at 12 from published RCTs, letters to pharmacological companies, and months, with a mean 17% increase (7% to 28%; P Γ΅ .001),