title: Interferon treatment of chronic active hepatitis B: effect of a six month treatment regimen.
abstract: In this study of 17 patients with chronic active hepatitis B, the loss of hepatitis B virus DNA, the return to normal of alanine aminotransferase activities, and histological improvement after six months' treatment with 3 million units three times weekly with interferon alfa-2b, was achieved in 40% of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) positive/anti HBe negative patients, and 41.66% of HBeAg negative/anti HBe positive patients. The reappearance of hepatitis B virus DNA was seen in most patients when treatment was stopped, although a higher percentage of HBeAg positive/anti HBe negative patients (20%) had a sustained loss of hepatitis B virus DNA, return to normal alanine aminotransferase activities, and histological improvement compared with HBeAg negative/anti HBe positive patients (8.3%).
authors.affiliation: 2nd Medical Department, Aristotelian University, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Raptopoulou
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Orphanou
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vrettou
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Akribiadis
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chadzikonstantinou
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Goulis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000201:enzymology / Q000628:therapy*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000201:enzymology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011994:Recombinant Proteins
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D000410:Alanine Transaminase