title: Quantitation of hepatic hepatitis C virus RNA in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Relationship with severity of disease, viral genotype and response to treatment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the correlation between hepatic hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA and histological lesions, viral genotype or response to alpha interferon therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-three patients with chronic hepatitis C (14 sustained responders (SR) and 29 non-sustained responders (NSR)) were studied. A liver tissue sample was obtained before and 1 year after treatment. Quantitation of hepatic HCV-RNA was performed by competitive PCR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Before treatment, HCV-RNA was detectable in all liver samples. There was no association between hepatic HCV-RNA and the severity of liver lesions. There was a significant association between old age and hepatic HCV-RNA (P = 0.03). There was an association, at the limit of significance, between genotype 1 and high hepatic HCV-RNA amounts (15 x 106 and 4.1 x 10(6) copies/g, P = 0.05). Pre-treatment hepatic HCV-RNA amounts were lower in SRs than in others (0.65 x 10(6) and 13.2 x 10(6) copies/g, P = 0.0002). After treatment, no liver HCV-RNA was detectable in the SRs while in the NSRs, the HCV-RNA amounts were unchanged.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The amount of hepatic HCV-RNA is correlated to genotype and response to interferon therapy but not to histologic lesions. Hepatic HCV-RNA clearance is observed in SRs, suggesting viral eradication.
authors.affiliation: Service d'Hépatologie, Centre de Recherche Claude Bernard sur les Hépatites Virales, Hĵpital Beaujon AP-HP, Clichy, France.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gervais
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martinot
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Boyer
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Auperin
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Le Breton
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Degott
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Valla
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marcellin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral; D000410:Alanine Transaminase