Long-term follow-up of hepatitis B chronic carriers who responded to interferon therapy.
We studied the long-term outcome of patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection who responded to interferon (IFN) therapy. Between 1983 and 1988, 120 patients were included in 5 different protocols; 94 patients were treated with IFN and 26 were controls. Loss of serum HBV-DNA was considered a partial response and occurred in 34 of the treated patients and in 10 of the controls. Only the partial-response patients were followed up for 14-64 months (mean 46 months). HBeAg disappeared in 32/34 of the partial-response treated patients and in 9/10 of the controls. During the follow-up period, 6/34 (18%) treated patients and 1/10 controls suffered a reactivation of the disease with reappearance of HBV-DNA. Only 8/34 (23%) treated patients and 1/10 of the controls lost HBsAg; no statistical differences were observed in baseline characteristics between HBsAg-negative patients and patients who remained HBsAg-positive. Of eight HBsAg-negative treated patients, four were serum HBV-DNA-negative upon polymerase chain reaction and thus formed the HBsAg-negative control cases. Although the frequency of HBsAg loss in treated patients is relatively low, the improvement in liver disease obtained from IFN therapy is sustained over a long period.
Carreño
V
V
Department of Gastroenterology, Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Madrid, Spain.
Castillo
I
I
Molina
J
J
Porres
J C
JC
Bartolomé
J
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002353:Carrier State / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007372:Interferons / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D013997:Time Factors
D004279:DNA, Viral; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens; D007372:Interferons