Efficacy of chronic hepatitis C therapy with interferon alpha (IFN-alpha) in Slovenia.
OBJECTIVE
Eighty Slovene patients with chronic hepatitis C were included in a prospective study conducted in the period 1997-1998 with the purpose to establish the efficacy of interferon alpha therapy. The average age of the patients was 39 years. In more than half of the patients (52%) the mode and time of onset of the infection were unknown. Two thirds of the patients were males. The plasma viral load exceeded 2 x 10(6) copies/mL in only three patients and in more than half of the cases (54%) HCV genotype 1b was present.


METHODS
The 18-month treatment with 3 MU interferon alpha three times a week was concluded in 53 patients and, after doubling the initial dose of interferon alpha from 3 MU to 6 MU, in 5 patients. In 11 patients, the treatment was discontinued prematurely, after six months, due to therapeutic failure (despite doubling the initial dose of interferon alpha Eleven patients withdrew from the treatment: six of them due to side effects and five due to personal reasons.


RESULTS
Complete response to therapy with disappearance of HCV from the blood was observed in 34 patients (49%), while in 24 the response to therapy was partial, i.e., the biochemical tests showed normalization of values but viremia persisted. There was a significant relation between the therapeutic response and those patients with the genotype 3 (p = 0.01). After three months of follow-up, complete therapeutic response was still observed in 19 patients (28%), most of them with genotype 3. Despite persistent viremia there was no progression of liver inflammation in eight partial responders, as evidenced by liver rebiopsy. Thus, it was confirmed that treatment is justified in these patients.


CONCLUSIONS
During the continuation of the follow-up period we shall record further course of the disease and make an attempt in a subsequent study to improve the efficacy of the treatment by introducing a combination of interferon alpha and ribavirin into therapy.
Brinovec
Vladimir
V
Department of Infectious Diseases and Febrile Illnesses, University Medical Center, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Lesnicar
Gorazd
G
Maticic
Mojca
M
Meglic-Volkar
Jelka
J
Poljak
Mario
M
Seme
Katja
K
Ferlan-Marolt
Vera
V
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D017524:Slovenia; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D019562:Viral Load
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D007370:Interferon Type I; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D000410:Alanine Transaminase