title: A pilot study of 2 years of interferon treatment in patients with chronic delta hepatitis.
abstract: High dose interferon treatment for 1 year is the only established treatment for chronic hepatitis D, but it is associated with a high relapse rate after treatment discontinuation. In this study, patients were treated with 10 MU interferon alpha 2b, thrice weekly for 2 years. Twenty-three patients were recruited and 15 completed the 2-year treatment and 6 months follow-up periods. Treatment response was assessed biochemically [normal alanine aminotransferase (ALT)], virologically (undetectable hepatitis D virus RNA) and histologically (at least 2 point decrease in the Knodell score) at the end of treatment (EOT) and at the end of follow-up. Out of 15 patients who finished the 2-year treatment period, seven patients (47%) had a biochemical response but only two (13%) had a normal ALT after follow-up. ALT decreased from the baseline value of 143.1 +/- 121.7 (mean +/- SD) to 39.7 +/- 20.6 (P < 0.01) at EOT. Virological response was observed in six patients at EOT and in two patients at follow-up. Two patients lost hepatitis B surface antigen. Of the 12 patients with paired liver biopsies, a histological improvement was observed in eight patients. Interferon treatment leads to a complete or partial response in a substantial number of patients but 2 years of treatment does not appear to increase sustained response rates over 1 year treatment.
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology Section, University of Ankara Medical School, Turkey. cihan.yurdaydin@medicine.ankara.edu.tr
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yurdaydin
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bozkaya
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Karaaslan
authors.forename: F O
authors.initials: FO
authors.lastname: Onder
authors.forename: O E
authors.initials: OE
authors.lastname: Erkan
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yalçin
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Değertekin
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Bozdayi
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Uzunalimoğlu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001706:Biopsy; D005260:Female; D003699:Hepatitis D / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D003698:Hepatitis Delta Virus / Q000254:growth & development*; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D000410:Alanine Transaminase