Baseline characteristics of 22 patients included in the PIRR protocol and 15 patients receiving the standard Peg-IFN-α/RBV combination
| . | PIRR, n = 22 . | Peg-IFN-α//RBV, n = 15 . |
|---|---|---|
| Demography | ||
| Age, y (range) | 63 (51-68) | 59 (50-66) |
| Females/males | 15/7 | 10/5 |
| Immunologic | ||
| Cryocrit, %, mean ± SD | 6.4 ± 3.9 | 5.5 ± 3.0 |
| Cryoglobulin type, n (%) | ||
| II | 20 (90.9) | 12 (80) |
| III | 2 (9.1) | 3 (20) |
| IgM serum levels, mg/L, mean ± SD; NV: 400-2300 mg/L, | 4056 ± 3602 | 4600 ± 2010 |
| Complement fractions | ||
| C3, mg/dL, mean ± SD; NV: 80-140 mg/dL, | 119.3 ± 40.7 | 116 ± 31 |
| C4, mg/dL, mean ± SD; NV: 10-40 mg/dL, | 4.8 ± 3.0 | 3.7 ± 1.9 |
| HCV infection | ||
| HCV RNA serum levels, IU/mL, ×106, mean ± SD | 1.6 ± 0.5 | 1.9 ± 0.7 |
| HCV genotypes (%) | ||
| 1 | 9 (40.9) | 7 (46.6) |
| 2 | 13 (59) | 8 (53.3) |
| HCV antibodies (%) | 22 (100) | 15 (100) |
| Liver involvement | ||
| Alanine aminotransferase, × upper limit of normal (range) | 2.3 (0.8-7.2) | 3.1 (2-8) |
| Chronic active hepatitis (%) | 20 (90.9) | 14 (93.3) |
| Bridging fibrosis/cirrhosis (%) | 2 (9.1) | 1 (6.6) |
| Purpura (%) | 22 (100) | 15 (100) |
| Cutaneous ulcers (%) | 5 (22.7) | 3 (20) |
| Weakness (%) | 20 (95) | 13 (87) |
| Arthralgias (%) | 16 (74) | 11 (73) |
| Peripheral neuropathies (%) | 6 (27.2) | 3 (20) |
| Renal involvement (%) | 5 (22.7) | 4 (26.6) |
| Creatinine, mg/dL, mean ± SD, NV: ≤ 1.2 mg/dL | 194.4 ± 26.5 | 167.8 ± 19.4 |
| Proteinuria, g/24 h, mean ± SD; NV: < 0.12 g/24 h | 3.06 ± 1.6 | 3.6 ± 1.4 |
| . | PIRR, n = 22 . | Peg-IFN-α//RBV, n = 15 . |
|---|---|---|
| Demography | ||
| Age, y (range) | 63 (51-68) | 59 (50-66) |
| Females/males | 15/7 | 10/5 |
| Immunologic | ||
| Cryocrit, %, mean ± SD | 6.4 ± 3.9 | 5.5 ± 3.0 |
| Cryoglobulin type, n (%) | ||
| II | 20 (90.9) | 12 (80) |
| III | 2 (9.1) | 3 (20) |
| IgM serum levels, mg/L, mean ± SD; NV: 400-2300 mg/L, | 4056 ± 3602 | 4600 ± 2010 |
| Complement fractions | ||
| C3, mg/dL, mean ± SD; NV: 80-140 mg/dL, | 119.3 ± 40.7 | 116 ± 31 |
| C4, mg/dL, mean ± SD; NV: 10-40 mg/dL, | 4.8 ± 3.0 | 3.7 ± 1.9 |
| HCV infection | ||
| HCV RNA serum levels, IU/mL, ×106, mean ± SD | 1.6 ± 0.5 | 1.9 ± 0.7 |
| HCV genotypes (%) | ||
| 1 | 9 (40.9) | 7 (46.6) |
| 2 | 13 (59) | 8 (53.3) |
| HCV antibodies (%) | 22 (100) | 15 (100) |
| Liver involvement | ||
| Alanine aminotransferase, × upper limit of normal (range) | 2.3 (0.8-7.2) | 3.1 (2-8) |
| Chronic active hepatitis (%) | 20 (90.9) | 14 (93.3) |
| Bridging fibrosis/cirrhosis (%) | 2 (9.1) | 1 (6.6) |
| Purpura (%) | 22 (100) | 15 (100) |
| Cutaneous ulcers (%) | 5 (22.7) | 3 (20) |
| Weakness (%) | 20 (95) | 13 (87) |
| Arthralgias (%) | 16 (74) | 11 (73) |
| Peripheral neuropathies (%) | 6 (27.2) | 3 (20) |
| Renal involvement (%) | 5 (22.7) | 4 (26.6) |
| Creatinine, mg/dL, mean ± SD, NV: ≤ 1.2 mg/dL | 194.4 ± 26.5 | 167.8 ± 19.4 |
| Proteinuria, g/24 h, mean ± SD; NV: < 0.12 g/24 h | 3.06 ± 1.6 | 3.6 ± 1.4 |
NV indicates normal value.