title: Improvement of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C patients treated with natural interferon alpha.
abstract: To investigate the histological change (change of liver fibrosis) produced by the anti-viral effect of interferon on hepatitis C virus, 40 patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with natural interferon alpha were divided according to the existence of viremia at the end of treatment and 6 months after the end of treatment. The condition of liver fibrosis was scored numerically with a new "hepatic fibrosis score" which is sensitive to more subtle changes than Knodell's fibrosis score. Each portal zone was evaluated separately. End-of-treatment biopsy for the HCV RNA-negative group (negative for HCV RNA at the end of treatment) showed a significant improvement of the "hepatic fibrosis score" as well as the alleviation of necrosis and inflammation. At the end of treatment and 6 months after that, serum procollagen type III peptide levels and serum type IV collagen-7s levels had also decreased significantly in the HCV RNA-negative group. The present study showed that treatment with interferon alpha could alleviate fibrosis in addition to necrosis and inflammation.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Medicine, Osaka University Medical School, Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hiramatsu
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kasahara
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hagiwara
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takehara
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Haruna
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Naito
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fusamoto
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kamada
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D003094:Collagen / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy*; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009336:Necrosis; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000097:blood; D011347:Procollagen / Q000097:blood; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D016898:Interferon-alpha; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011347:Procollagen; D012367:RNA, Viral; C041876:procollagen Type III-N-terminal peptide; D003094:Collagen; D000410:Alanine Transaminase