title: Histological behaviour of chronic hepatitis in patients treated with alpha interferon.
abstract: To evaluate the histological effects of alpha Interferon (IFN) therapy, serial liver biopsy specimens from 30 patients with chronic hepatitis were studied. The biopsies were examined using a scoring system. After 12 mths of IFN therapy responders were 8 out of 11 HBV infected patients, 10 out of 12 HCV infected patients and only 1 out of 7 patients with cryptogenetic hepatitis. As spontaneous improvement of hepatic changes is infrequent, our data indicate that in terms of histological patterns interferon therapy is effective in chronic viral hepatitis.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Patologia Umana, Università di Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Villari
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Raimondo
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Freni
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rodinò
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aiello
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fava
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Longo
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Batolo
mesh_terms: D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D016898:Interferon-alpha