Two-year biochemical, virological, and histological follow-up in patients with chronic hepatitis C responding in a sustained fashion to interferon alfa-2b treatment.
Fourteen patients with chronic hepatitis C who had a sustained response to a 60-week interferon alfa-2b treatment course were followed, biochemically and virologically, 2 years after treatment cessation. Biopsies were repeated in 12 of 14 for histological and virological evaluation at 2-year follow-up. All 14 patients had normal serum alanine transaminase (s-ALT) levels and were negative for hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in serum during treatment and at short-term follow-up 6 months post-treatment. At 2-year follow-up, 13 patients still had normal ALT levels (< 0.6 mukat/L for women; < 0.8 mukat/L for men), 1 a near normal level (0.76 mukat/L); all were HCV RNA negative in serum, and 11 of 12 also in the liver. Liver histology improved during treatment and remained stable during the 2-year follow-up. The authors conclude that most sustained responders, who have normal ALT levels and are nonviremic at short-term follow-up 6 months after interferon treatment, will continue to have a durable long-term response without relapse of the viremia.
Reichard
O
O
Department of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska Institute, Danderyd Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Glaumann
H
H
Frydén
A
A
Norkrans
G
G
Schvarcz
R
R
Sönnerborg
A
A
Yun
Z B
ZB
Weiland
O
O
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D011994:Recombinant Proteins
D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D000410:Alanine Transaminase