title: A six-year follow-up after interferon-alpha monotherapy for chronic hepatitis C infection in hemodialysis patients.
abstract: Interferon-alpha (IFN) has been accepted as an effective treatment for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in hemodialysis (HD) patients. We prospectively assess the long-term clinical, biochemical, and virological effects of interferon in the treatment of HD patients with chronic HCV infection. This study was performed in 20 HCV-RNA-positive HD patients with evidence of chronic hepatitis on liver biopsy. The patients received IFN administered after HD sessions in doses ranging from 3 to 6 million units for 6 to 12 months. The patients were followed up for a period of 6 years with determinations of serial alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels and serum HCV-RNA. At the time of the final follow-up, the patients had no cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. Among the nonresponder group, only 1 patient died due to sudden cardiac death. Sustained normal serum ALT levels occurred in 9 (45%) of the patients. Nine patients had variable ALT levels, and 2 patients had persistently elevated ALT levels. Eight (40%) patients were continuously HCV-RNA negative, whereas 12 patients (60%) had variable HCV-RNA results at the end of the 6-year follow-up. These findings show that the long-term clinical, biochemical, and virological response to interferon monotherapy is good in HD patients with HCV infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Baskent University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fatma Nurhan
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Ozdemir
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akcay
authors.forename: Siren
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sezer
authors.forename: Sedat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boyacioglu
authors.forename: Binnaz Handan
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Ozdemir
authors.forename: Zubeyde
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Arat
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Haberal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D016898:Interferon-alpha