title: Sustained response to interferon-alpha2a monotherapy of young blood donors with minimal-to-mild chronic hepatitis C. The Donor Surveillance Study Group.
abstract: Subjects with minimal-to-mild chronic hepatitis C may suffer long-term consequences of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Nonetheless, they are not candidates for antiviral treatment, mainly because little data are available concerning the efficacy and safety of therapy. Thirty-two HCV RNA positive individuals aged 18-45 years, who had a histological activity index score < or = 8 and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels < or = 1.5 times lower than the normal limit for at least 1 year, were prospectively enrolled among a cohort of 35358 candidate blood donors, and treated with 4.5 mega units (MU) of recombinant interferon-alpha2a (IFN-alpha2a) thrice weekly for 6 months, and for an additional 6 months if a virological response was observed. Twelve months after the completion of treatment, 13 of 31 evaluable patients were HCV RNA negative, accounting for a sustained response rate of 42%. Patients without fibrosis had a lower response rate than those with mild fibrosis (two of 14 vs 11 of 17; P=0.012). In responders, median aminotransferase levels were significantly lower after therapy than before (11.04 +/- 3.98 vs 27.3 +/- 12.32 U l-1, respectively; P < 0. 005). When the analysis was limited to the six responders whose pretreatment aminotransferase levels were consistently normal, this difference was still significant (9.33 +/- 4.12 vs 20.58 +/- 6.73 U l-1; P=0.002). In conclusion, a durable suppression of viraemia can be obtained by IFN monotherapy in a relatively high proportion of young subjects with minimal-to-mild chronic hepatitis C, especially when portal fibrosis is found on liver biopsy. The disappearance of viraemia always leads to a reduction in the degree of hepatocellular necrosis.
authors.affiliation: Centro Trasfusionale e di Immunologia dei Trapianti, IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore di Milano, Milano, Italy; Divisione di Ematologia, IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore di Milano, Italy; Roche Italy, Milano, Italy; Hoffman-LaRoche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland; Istit.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Prati
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zanella
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zanuso
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vianello
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Della Torre
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mozzi
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Carriero
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zahm
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Donato
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Colombo
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sirchia
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001782:Blood Donors; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D000410:Alanine Transaminase