Treatment of chronic viral hepatitis.
Interferon-alpha therapy has proved effective for up to 40% of patients with adult-acquired chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and for 20-25% of those with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Nucleoside analogues, such as lamivudine and famciclovir, are showing promise as antiviral agents for chronic HBV and the combination of interferon-alpha and ribavirin is proving to be successful therapy for 40-50% of patients with chronic HCV. In this article we review current therapy and discuss future strategies of the therapy of chronic viral hepatitis.
Main
J
J
Imperial College School of Medicine, St Mary's Hospital, London, UK.
McCarron
B
B
Thomas
H C
HC
D015075:2-Aminopurine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D000963:Antimetabolites / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004372:Ducks; D000077595:Famciclovir; D005260:Female; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy*; D006520:Hepatitis, Animal / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019259:Lamivudine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D008392:Marmota; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000821:virology; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D000963:Antimetabolites; D000998:Antiviral Agents; D007155:Immunologic Factors; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors; D019259:Lamivudine; D015075:2-Aminopurine; D000077595:Famciclovir