Long-term follow-up of chronic hepatitis C patients with sustained virological response to alpha-interferon.
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to determine the long-term outcome of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients who respond to interferon treatment with clearance of serum HCV RNA.


METHODS
We performed a long-term biochemical, virological, and histological follow-up of all sustained virological responders, defined as those who became HCV RNA negative at follow-up 6 months after the end of treatment, from 3 controlled interferon trials performed in Sweden between 1988 and 1994.


RESULTS
At biochemical and virological long-term follow-up performed in 26 sustained virological responders 3.5-8.8 years (mean +/- SD, 5.4+/-1.6 years) after the end of IFN therapy, 22 patients (85%) had normal serum ALT levels, and 24 patients (92%) were HCV RNA negative in serum. Liver biopsies performed in 23 patients 2.1-8.7 years (mean +/- SD, 5.0+/-1.8 years) after end of treatment showed no or minimal inflammation, whereas mild and probably irreversible fibrosis was seen in a few patients.


CONCLUSIONS
In this well-defined material of sustained responders to IFN therapy, the long-term prognosis was excellent. Nearly all had a durable response, not only biochemically and virologically, but more importantly also histologically with normalisation or near normalisation of previous histological lesions.
Reichard
O
O
Department of Infectious Diseases at Danderyd, University Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. olle.reichard@inf.ds.sll.se
Glaumann
H
H
Frydén
A
A
Norkrans
G
G
Wejstål
R
R
Weiland
O
O
D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001706:Biopsy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009336:Necrosis; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D013548:Sweden; D013997:Time Factors
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D000410:Alanine Transaminase