The prevalence of celiac disease and the appropriateness of the diagnosis in family medicine setting could be lower than expected.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of celiac disease (CD) and the appropriateness of this diagnosis in the family medicine setting in Italy.

Patients And Methods: The electronic databases of 16 general practitioners working in Rome (Italy) were analyzed. The prevalence of CD according to the Italian pathology identification code issued by the Italian National Health System was assessed.

Viability of pegIFNα-RBV for CHC in the direct acting antiviral era: a practical algorithm between efficacy and cost containment.

The classical pegylated interferon α (peg-IFNα) and ribavirin (RBV) treatment of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is progressively being replaced by new direct acting antivirals, whose costs remain a major barrier to widespread use. Using baseline data and viral kinetics, we developed a predictive algorithm to allocate to DAA patients who are not going to respond to peg-IFNα/RBV. This prospective study evaluated 205 CHC patients treated with peg-IFNα/RBV.

Differential antiviral effects of pegylated interferon-α2a and pegylated interferon-α2b in chronic hepatitis C.

Background And Objectives: Pegylated interferon (peg-IFN)-α2a and -α2b show different pharmacokinetic properties but are used interchangeably for hepatitis C treatment in traditional dual combinations and with newer agents. We assessed whether peg-IFN antiviral effects vary with peg-IFN subtype, affecting viral response in a differential manner.

Methods: Chronic hepatitis C patients treated with ribavirin combined with peg-IFN-α2a (N = 109) or -α2b (N = 114) were studied.