Conclusions, take home points, and what to tell my patient...
Adding ribavirin to IFN increases sustained responses, especially in those pts with higher viral RNA levels.
A liver biopsy is recommended before initiating treatment. Advanced cirrhosis is the only absolute contraindication to treatment.
ALT levels are the most commonly used measure of treatment response, but viral RNA levels may be a more accurate (and more expensive) marker.
Genotype and RNA levels are predictors of response, but not contraindications to therapy.