Treatment of chronic non-A non-B hepatitis with human interferon beta: a preliminary study.
Twenty-four patients with chronic non-A non-B hepatitis were randomly assigned to receive either human fibroblast interferon (HuIFN-beta) at doses of 1 or 3 million international units (MIU) per day for 4 or 12 weeks (12 patients) or to receive no therapy (12 patients), and were then compared with 5 patients with chronic type B hepatitis who were treated with HuIFN-beta. Elevated serum aminotransferase levels decreased more rapidly during the treatment of chronic non-A non-B hepatitis than of chronic hepatitis B. Variations in serum aminotransferases were not observed in any of the untreated chronic non-A non-B hepatitis patients. In 3 of the 9 patients with chronic non-A non-B hepatitis who responded to HuIFN-beta therapy, serum aminotransferase levels remained normal 15, 21 and 31 months after therapy was discontinued; liver biopsy specimens obtained after therapy from 2 patients showed marked histological improvement. In the six other patients aminotransferase activity levels became again elevated following cessation of interferon therapy. No response to HuIFN-beta was seen in the remaining 3 patients with chronic non-A non-B hepatitis.
Kiyosawa
K
K
Department of Internal Medicine, Sinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.
Sodeyama
T
T
Nakano
Y
Y
Yoda
H
H
Tanaka
E
E
Hayata
T
T
Tsuchiya
K
K
Yousuf
M
M
Furuta
S
S
D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000187:drug effects; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011897:Random Allocation
D007370:Interferon Type I; D000410:Alanine Transaminase