title: Treatment of chronic hepatitis C with recombinant alpha-interferon. A multicentre randomized, controlled trial. The Hepatitis Interventional Therapy Group.
abstract: To assess the efficacy of therapy with the antiviral agent interferon in chronic hepatitis C (non-A, non-B hepatitis), we randomly assigned 166 chronic hepatitis C patients to treatment with either 3 million or 1 million units of recombinant interferon alfa-2b three times weekly for 24 weeks, or to no treatment. The probability of normalization or near normalization of the serum alanine aminotransferase levels after 6 months of interferon therapy was 46% in patients treated with 3 million units of interferon (p less than 0.001) and 28% in those treated with 1 million units (p less than 0.02), but only 8% in untreated patients. Serum alanine aminotransferase levels became completely normal in 22 of the 26 patients (85%) who responded to treatment with 3 million units of interferon and 9 of the 16 patients (56%) who responded to treatment with 1 million units. The patients who received 3 million units of interferon had histological improvement because of the regression of lobular and periportal inflammation. Relapse within 6 months after the completion of treatment occurred in 51% of the patients treated with 3 million units of interferon and 44% of those treated with 1 million units. We conclude that a 24-week course of interferon therapy is effective in controlling disease activity in many patients with hepatitis C, although relapse after the cessation of treatment is common.
authors: Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, University of Florida, Gainesville 32610.
authors: G L
authors: GL
authors: Davis
authors: L A
authors: LA
authors: Balart
authors: E R
authors: ER
authors: Schiff
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Lindsay
authors: H C
authors: HC
authors: Bodenheimer
authors: R P
authors: RP
authors: Perrillo
authors: W
authors: W
authors: Carey
authors: I M
authors: IM
authors: Jacobson
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Payne
authors: J L
authors: JL
authors: Dienstag
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011994:Recombinant Proteins
chemical_list: D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins