title: Therapy of chronic type B hepatitis with adenine arabinoside and adenine arabinoside monophosphate.
abstract: Adenine arabinoside (ARA-A) and its monophosphate (ARA-AMP) are potent inhibitors of hepatitis B virus, but they have not been shown to beneficially alter the natural history of chronic type B hepatitis. Analysis of responders to ARA-AMP therapy has shown that responses can be temporary and that truly long-term beneficial responses are rare. Most long-term responses occur in patients with marked elevations in serum aminotransferase activities and severe chronic active hepatitis. This group of patients, however, may also be the most likely to have a spontaneous improvement in chronic hepatitis. Analyses from England suggest that male homosexual patients have a lower response rate to ARA-AMP than heterosexual patients. This difference has not been shown in studies from the United States. The effect of HTLV-III infection on the course and outcome of hepatitis B virus infection and on clinical responses to antiviral therapy needs further evaluation. In view of the side-effects of ARA-AMP and its marginal efficacy, it is unlikely to play a role as a single agent in the therapy of this important chronic liver disease. However, the use of ARA-AMP after a short course of immunosuppressive therapy is an approach to therapy that deserves future investigation in prospective controlled trials.
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000150:complications; D001088:Arabinonucleotides / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006716:Homosexuality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013997:Time Factors; D014740:Vidarabine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001084:Vidarabine Phosphate / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D001088:Arabinonucleotides; D001084:Vidarabine Phosphate; D014740:Vidarabine