Improvement of quantitative testing of liver function in patients with chronic hepatitis C after installment of antiviral therapy.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate if and to what extent antiviral therapy influenced a broad panel of quantitative testing of liver function (QTLF).


METHODS
Fifty patients with chronic hepatitis C were either treated with interferon (n = 8), interferon/ribavirin (n = 19) or peg-interferon/ribavirin (n = 23). Quantitative testing of liver function, including aminopyrine breath test (ABT), galactose elimination capacity (GEC), sorbitol clearance (SCl) and indocyanine green clearance (ICG) was performed before and 3 mo after initiation of antiviral therapy.


RESULTS
After 3 mo of antiviral treatment, 36 patients showed normal transaminases and were negative for HCV-RNA, 14 patients did not respond to therapy. ABT and GEC as parameters of microsomal and cytosolic liver function were reduced in all patients before therapy initiation and returned to normal values in the 36 therapy responders after 3 mo. Parameters of liver perfusion (SCl and ICG) were not affected by antiviral therapy. In the 14 non-responders, no changes in QTLF values were observed during the treatment period.


CONCLUSIONS
ICG and SCl remained unaffected in patients with chronic hepatitis C, while ABT and GEC were significantly compromised. ABT and GEC normalized in responders to antiviral therapy. Early determination of ABT and GEC may differentiate responders from non-responders to antiviral treatment in hepatitis C.
Ocker
Matthias
M
Department of Medicine I, Ulmenweg 18, Erlangen D-91054, Germany.
Ganslmayer
Marion
M
Zopf
Steffen
S
Gahr
Susanne
S
Janson
Christopher
C
Hahn
Eckhart-G
EG
Herold
Christoph
C
D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007372:Interferons / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008099:Liver / Q000503:physiopathology; D008111:Liver Function Tests / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D012254:Ribavirin; D007372:Interferons