title: Low-dose leukocyte interferon-alpha therapy in dialysed patients with chronic hepatitis C.
abstract: Kidney failure is a contraindication to interferon therapy, and active chronic hepatitis is incompatible with kidney transplantation. Our study was aimed at investigating the activity and tolerability of leukocyte interferon-alpha in patients undergoing pre-transplant dialysis and suffering from chronic active hepatitis due to Hepatitis C virus infection. Ten patients, with persistently high ALT levels, were treated with leukocyte interferon-alpha, at a dose of 1 MU three times weekly for one year. Viraemia, ALT levels and other blood and urine tests, hepatitis stage and drug tolerance were all monitored throughout the study and the six-month follow-up period. After six months of treatment, two patients had continuing normalisation of ALT, negative HCV-RNA tests and normalisation of histological features ('long-term responders'). Four patients relapsed; three did not respond to treatment; and one patient discontinued it because of intolerance. The four relapsing patients received a second cycle with the same interferon, at a dose of 3 MU three times weekly, with attainment, in one patient, of complete remittance after six months of follow-up. Leukocyte interferon-alpha yielded an overall 30% therapeutic response in dialysed patients with chronic hepatitis C. Its use is helpful in enabling dialysed patients to undergo transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Unità Operativa di Medicina Malattie Infettive (Unità Sanitaria Locale 23), Arezzo, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Benci
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Caremani
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Menchetti
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sasdelli
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Giusti
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000075202:Contraindications; D016903:Drug Monitoring; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D019562:Viral Load; D014850:Waiting Lists
chemical_list: D016898:Interferon-alpha; D000410:Alanine Transaminase