title: Exploratory study on the effects of treatment with two mistletoe preparations on chronic hepatitis C.
abstract: Twenty-one patients with chronic hepatitis C were treated with a mistletoe preparation as monotherapy (either Iscador or Abnoba viscum) during one year. The treatment was well tolerated. Patients entering the study with elevated transaminases had a significant improvement, both for AST (aspartate aminotransferase) (p = 0.01) and for ALT (alanine aminotransferase) (p = 0.04). Quality of life significantly improved (p = 0.006) in patients with a low initial quality of life. Although one patient obtained a complete virological response, few effects on viral load were seen in the whole group. These results suggest an effect comparable to glycyrrhicin treatment: improvement of liver inflammation and thus possibly reduction of the long term complications, viz cirrhosis and liver cancer. Mistletoe preparations have the advantage of easy administration and low cost.
authors.affiliation: Berg en Bosch Medical Centre, Bilthoven The Netherlands. tusenius@tiscali.nl
authors.forename: Karel Jan
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Tusenius
authors.forename: Anne Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Spoek
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van Hattum
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019540:Area Under Curve; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014784:Mistletoe / Q000737:chemistry*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts; D010940:Plant Proteins; D012367:RNA, Viral; C508047:abnoba viscum; C077177:viscum album peptide; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases