[Utility of a little phlebotomy intermittently just before intravenous injection of glycyrrhizin for patients with chronic hepatitis C].
We performed a small phlebotomy (50 ml) intermittently just before intravenous injection of glycyrrhizin (GL) in eight patients with chronic hepatitis C and continued this therapy until their serum ferritin levels dropped below 20 ng/ml without any changes of GL dosage. No patients had complications but one patient holded treatment according to their wishing. In seven patients who completed this therapy, the average amount of phlebotomized blood was 1221 +/- 1055 ml, their serum ferritin value significantly fell from 253 +/- 233 ng/ml to 18+/-5 ng/ml (p=0.038). Serum ALT levels also significantly decreased from 74 +/- 22 IU/L to 41 +/- 12 IU/L (p=0.001). Small intermittent phlebotomies before GL injection may be a effective treatment for hepatitis C.
Sumida
Yoshio
Y
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Nara City Hospital.
Kanemasa
Kazuyuki
K
Fukumoto
Kohei
K
Yoshida
Naohisa
N
Sakai
Kyoko
K
D000368:Aged; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood; D019695:Glycyrrhizic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000097:blood* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018962:Phlebotomy / Q000592:standards*
D019695:Glycyrrhizic Acid; D005293:Ferritins; D000410:Alanine Transaminase