Appropriate interferon-alpha therapy for chronic hepatitis C: an assessment by quantitative changes in serum hepatitis C virus-RNA.
The antiviral effect of natural interferon (IFN)-alpha on chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection was estimated by determining quantitative changes in serum HCV-RNA compared with the serum alanine aminotransferase (sALT) improvement; the relationships of responses to IFN according to the dose and period of IFN therapy were defined to determine an appropriate IFN therapy protocol. Twenty-two patients with chronic hepatitis C were given natural IFN-alpha and in 16 (72.7%) patients the viraemia was suppressed during therapy. Five (27.7%) of them sustained the disappearance of HCV-RNA for more than 6 months after therapy accompanied with a prolonged sALT improvement. Pre-treatment viraemia levels in 5 complete responders with "complete suppression" of viraemia were significantly lower than in 11 patients with a transient loss or a decline of HCV-RNA. A favorable antiviral response was closely associated with a high total dose of IFN-alpha and a long duration of IFN therapy.
Watanabe
S
S
Third Department of Internal Medicine, Mie University School of Medicine, Tsu, Japan.
Kobayashi
Y
Y
Konishi
M
M
Yokoi
M
M
Kakehashi
R
R
Kaito
M
M
Suzuki
S
S
D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D001483:Base Sequence; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology / Q000628:therapy*; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic; D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014766:Viremia / Q000201:enzymology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy*
D007155:Immunologic Factors; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral; D000410:Alanine Transaminase