Short-term interferon therapy for chronic hepatitis C patients with low viral load.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the usefulness of high-dose short-term interferon therapy prospectively in 32 chronic hepatitis C patients with a low viral load showing the rapid disappearance of hepatitis C virus RNA after the start of interferon therapy.


METHODS
Each patient was confirmed with a low hepatitis C virus RNA level less than 1.0 Meq/mL before the start of interferon therapy regardless of hepatitis C virus genotypes. High-dose short-term interferon therapy was defined as administration of natural interferon alpha 10 MU/day for 14 weeks (daily for 4 weeks then three times a week for 10 weeks). This course of treatment was carried out only in cases with the rapid disappearance of hepatitis C virus RNA at 2 weeks after the start of interferon.


RESULTS
Sustained virological response was observed in 30 of 32 patients (93.8%) who received high-dose short-term interferon therapy. One patient who received 24 weeks interferon administration relapsed and became a non-responder. One patient refused to continue this therapy.


CONCLUSIONS
High-dose short-term interferon therapy might be useful when combining the selection of patients according to pretreatment hepatitis C virus RNA levels and testing virus presence at an early point after the start of interferon therapy.
Sato
Yoshihisa
Y
Third Department of Internal Medicine, Kyorin University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. mucchan@kyorin-u.ac.jp
Tokuue
Hideki
H
Kawamura
Naohiro
N
Nezu-Yajima
Saeko
S
Nakajima
Hiroshi
H
Ishida
Hitoshi
H
Takahashi
Shin-ichi
S
D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D012008:Recurrence; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D019562:Viral Load
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral