title: Interferon re-treatment for resistance to lamivudine plus interferon treatment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The most important problem of the lamivudine therapy is the frequent development of drug resistance. Treatment of chronic hepatitis B patients resistant to lamivudin remains to be established. We investigated in this study the efficacy of interferon therapy for breakthrough infection to combination therapy with interferon and lamivudine.
  
  
  METHODS
  Interferon therapy was applied to nine patients who experienced HBV DNA breakthrough with ALT elevation for at least three months during the lamivudine treatment, which was given in combination with interferon for the first six months. These patients were compared with 10 patients who developed breakthrough but were not given interferon. All the patients continued to receive lamivudine.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the nine patients who were given interferon, two lost HBV DNA and had normal ALT after six months of treatment. ALT levels returned to normal in two patients who had no virological response. Of those patients not given interferon, none lost HBV DNA, but three had normal ALT at the end of the same duration of follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The patients with breakthrough infection during lamivudine treatment, which was combined with interferon at the beginning, may benefit from another cycle of interferon treatment.
authors.affiliation: Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Gastroenterology, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Galip
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ersöz
authors.forename: Ulus Salih
authors.initials: US
authors.lastname: Akarca
authors.forename: Fulya
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Günşar
authors.forename: Zeki
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Karasu
authors.forename: Yücel
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Batur
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D024882:Drug Resistance, Viral; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006515:Hepatitis B virus; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007372:Interferons / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019259:Lamivudine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019233:Retreatment; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D004279:DNA, Viral; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens; D019259:Lamivudine; D007372:Interferons; D000410:Alanine Transaminase