Soluble CD26/30 levels before and after treatment with interferon-alpha and ribavirin combination therapy in a pediatric hepatitis C patient.
Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection frequently leads to end-stage liver diseases and extrahepatic complications. Combination therapy with interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) and ribavirin is now recommended as the first-line therapy for patients with chronic hepatitis C in adults. However, the benefit of such combination therapy in children with hepatitis C is still under investigation. We report here on a 6-year-old boy admitted with chronic active hepatitis C infection and treated with interferon-alpha and ribavirin. After treatment for 12 months, his serum showed negative HCV RNA, and normal alanine aminotransferase, and there was a sustained response. The patient's serum soluble CD30 (sCD30) level was higher than that of controls (>100 U/mL vs 46 +/- 11 U/mL) before combination therapy but there was no difference in soluble CD26 (sCD26) [103 ng/mL vs 119 +/- 28 ng/mL]. The sCD30 decreased and sCD26 increased at 6 months (45 U/mL and 188.3 ng/mL, respectively) using combined therapy as well as at 4 months after discontinuing it (33 U/mL and 167.8 ng/mL, respectively) in our patient. The results indicate that combined treatment with IFN-alpha and ribavirin may be used as the first-line treatment for children with chronic hepatitis C. The changes of sCD30 and sCD26 may be helpful in estimating of HCV infection activity.
Liao
Yu Ru
YR
Division of Immunology, Rheumatology and Allergy, Department of Pediatrics, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC.
Yen
Chen Po
CP
Lin
Chieh Chung
CC
Fu
Lin Shien
LS
Chiu
Chen Chia
CC
Chi
Ching Shiang
CS
D002648:Child; D018819:Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 / Q000097:blood*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017730:Ki-1 Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012995:Solubility; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D016898:Interferon-alpha; D017730:Ki-1 Antigen; D012254:Ribavirin; D018819:Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4