title: Monitoring of liver metabolic function during interferon-alpha therapy and its relationship to treatment outcome in chronic hepatitis C patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Interferon is considered the cornerstone in the therapy of chronic hepatitis C patients. Experimental studies have shown that interferon administration may influence liver metabolic activity. However, data concerning the monitoring of liver metabolic function during a therapeutic course of interferon in chronic hepatitis C patients are scanty. The MEGX (monoethylglycinexylidide) test has been used in diagnostic and prognostic assessment of chronic liver disease as a quantitative liver function test. In this study our aim was to non-invasively monitor liver function in chronic hepatitis C patients during a course of interferon-alpha therapy and to evaluate whether the presence of modifications in liver metabolic function might influence the therapeutic outcome.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 22 patients with biopsy-proven chronic hepatitis C before, during (1st, 3rd and 6th month of therapy), and three months after interferon-alpha (3 million units thrice weekly for six months) using MEGX test to monitor liver function.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the longitudinal study no significant differences were observed between pretreatment MEGX30 values and those obtained during interferon treatment or at the end of follow-up, both considering patients together or grouped according to treatment outcome (Responders vs. Non-responders). Analysis of the MEGX30 variations during therapy showed that they were evenly distributed between responder and non-responder patients. Furthermore, during interferon therapy none of the patients reached a MEGX30 value compatible with severely impaired liver function.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that although a discrete prevalence of modifications in liver metabolic function occurs in chronic hepatitis C patients during interferon therapy they do not seem to have clinical relevance or influence therapeutic outcome.
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Edoardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Giannini
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fasoli
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Romagnoli
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Botta
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fumagalli
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Polegato
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sola
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ceppa
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Testa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008012:Lidocaine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D008012:Lidocaine; C001173:monoethylglycinexylidide