Journal of Viral Hepatitis, 2013, 20, 838–846

doi:10.1111/jvh.12109

Valuable antiviral therapeutic options for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C patients with thrombocytopenia E. Ogawa,1,2 N. Furusyo,1,2 M. Murata,1 H. Ikezaki,2 T. Ihara,2 T. Hayashi,2 K. Toyoda,1 K. Okada,1 M. Kainuma,1 E. Kajiwara,3 K. Takahashi,4 T. Satoh5 and J. Hayashi1,2 1Department of General Internal Medicine, Kyushu University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan; 2Department of Environmental Medicine and Infectious Disease, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan; 3Department of Hepatology, Steel Memorial Yawata Hospital, Kitakyushu, Japan; 4Department of Medicine, Hamanomachi Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan; and 5Center for Liver Disease, National Hospital Organization Kokura Medical Center, Kitakyushu, Japan Received December 2012; accepted for publication February 2013

SUMMARY. Thrombocytopenia in patients with chronic

hepatitis C may represent an obstacle for the initiation of antiviral treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate factors predictive of successful pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) a2b and ribavirin (RBV) treatment for patients with thrombocytopenia with no history of splenectomy or partial splenic embolization. One hundred and fifty-one chronic hepatitis C patients (genotype 1: n = 110, genotype 2: n = 41) with TCP (