Effect of interferon on GB virus C and hepatitis C virus in hepatitis patients with the co-infection.
Of 74 patients who were infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and received interferon, 12 (16%) were positive for RNA of GB virus C (GBV-C). RNA of GBV-C was determined in sera from the co-infected patients retrospectively, and the effect of interferon on GBV-C was compared with that on HCV in them. Titers of both GBV-C and HCV RNAs decreased during interferon in all of them. Two patients lost both GBV-C and HCV RNAs and remained clear until 6 months after treatment with interferon, while 2 lost RNA for GBV-C only and 2 for HCV RNA alone. Low pretreatment RNA titers of GBV-C and HCV correlated with the efficacy of interferon in clearing. Alanine aminotransferase returned to normal only in the patients who lost HCV RNA, regardless of the persistence or loss of GBV-C RNA. These results indicate that the response to interferon of GBV-C is comparable to but independent of that of HCV and that the persistence of GBV-C would not prevent the normalization of aminotransferases in response to interferon in patients with chronic hepatitis C.
Nagayama
R
R
First Department of Internal Medicine, Teikyo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Miyake
K
K
Okamoto
H
H
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D018067:Flaviviridae / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000187:drug effects; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy* / Q000821:virology; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016899:Interferon-beta / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007372:Interferons / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D016899:Interferon-beta; D007372:Interferons