title: Treatment of chronic hepatitis B in children with recombinant alfa interferon. Different response according to age at infection.
abstract: The objective of this study was to investigate the possibility of predictive factors of response to treatment with interferon in children with chronic hepatitis B virus infection. We analyzed the influence on the response rate of age, sex, mode of acquisition of infection, severity, and duration of disease in 16 children with chronic hepatitis B treated with 3 MU of recombinant alpha-interferon 2b three times a week for 6 months. Six months after the end of treatment, eight patients (50%) had cleared HBV DNA, seroconverted to anti-HBe and normalized serum transaminase values. Response was significantly higher in those whose serum transaminase levels were > 100 IU/liter before treatment (70%) and those infected after birth (72%) compared with those with lower serum transaminase levels (16%) and those infected at birth (7%). Our findings indicate that a 6 month course of low dose interferon (3 MU) is highly effective in children with horizontally transmitted chronic hepatitis B virus infection, but noneffective in children infected at birth.
authors.affiliation: Liver Unit, Hospital Clinic, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bruguera
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Amat
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lambruschini
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Carnicer
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bergada
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Martin Orte
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Sanchez-Tapias
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rodés
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D011994:Recombinant Proteins
chemical_list: D007370:Interferon Type I; D011994:Recombinant Proteins