Serial quantitation of serum core protein and viral RNA of hepatitis C virus after interferon therapy: increase in viral loads in biochemical responders.
OBJECTIVE
Interferon (IFN) therapy is often ineffective in eradicating hepatitis C virus (HCV). Some patients show normal serum ALT levels for a long time after IFN therapy despite the presence of HCV. These patients are considered not virological responders but biochemical responders. We investigated the changes in the amount of HCV after IFN therapy in biochemical responders.


METHODS
Nine biochemical responders and 11 nonresponders were studied. Serum HCV amount was measured by fluorescence enzyme immunoassay for HCV core (pg/ml) and Amplicor HCV Monitor test for HCV RNA (logarithms of copy numbers per milliliter).


RESULTS
In biochemical responders, core protein and HCV RNA were increased significantly at 1 month after IFN therapy (291 +/- 191 pg/ml and 5.4 +/- 0.9, respectively; p < 0.05 for both) and at 1 yr (324 +/- 189 pg/ml and 5.6 +/- 0.7, respectively; p < 0.01 for both) compared with pretreatment values (122 +/- 114 pg/ml and 4.8 +/- 0.9, respectively). The change ratios of core protein at 1 month and 6 months after therapy to the pretreatment values were significantly higher in biochemical responders (3.2 +/- 2.4 and 2.9 +/- 2.3, respectively) than in nonresponders (0.9 +/- 0.7 and 1.1 +/- 0.8, respectively) (p < 0.05 for both). Similarly, the change ratios of HCV RNA at 1 month and 1 yr after IFN therapy were significantly higher in biochemical responders (9.9 +/- 14.6 and 12.8 +/- 15.1) than in nonresponders (0.6 +/- 0.5 and 1.2 +/- 1.2) (p < 0.05 for both).


CONCLUSIONS
HCV amount increased significantly after IFN therapy in biochemical responders, whereas it did not change notably in nonresponders.
Yoshioka
K
K
Third Department of Internal Medicine, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Showa-ku, Japan.
Aiyama
T
T
Iwata
K
K
Yano
M
M
Okumura
A
A
Ishikawa
T
T
Kakumu
S
S
D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000502:physiology*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000097:blood; D019562:Viral Load
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014758:Viral Core Proteins; D000410:Alanine Transaminase