Dense packing of portal lymphocytes predicts favorable treatment outcome in hepatitis C.
OBJECTIVE
To identify pre-therapeutic predictors of sustained virological response (SVR) in Taiwanese patients with chronic hepatitis C.


METHODS
One hundred and ninety-eight consecutive patients receiving interferon plus ribavirin combination therapy were included. Stepwise logistic regression model was performed to estimate the SVR on the presence of various pre-therapeutic clinical parameters.


RESULTS
The difference of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels (beta = 0.0080, P=0.0151), the presence of genotype 1b (beta = -1.9225, P<0.0001), the presence of dense packing of inflammatory cells in portal tract (beta = 1.5239, P=0.0354), age (beta = -0.0441, P=0.0179) and pre-therapeutic HCV-RNA concentration (beta = -0.0682, P=0.0411) were identified as independent predictors in the regression analysis. Patients with dense packing of inflammatory cells in portal tract (n=21) had significantly higher aspartate aminotransferase concentration, higher histology activity index, higher fibrosis score, and more histologically cirrhosis (P=0.032, 0.0001, 0.034, and 0.020, respectively). Paradoxically, they had a higher chance to achieve SVR (18/21 (85.7%) versus 99/177 (55.9%); P=0.017).


CONCLUSIONS
Dense packing of inflammatory cells in portal tract is an independent predictor of SVR to antiviral therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C.
Chang
Ming-Ling
ML
Liver Research Unit, Chang Gung Medical Center, 199, Tung Hwa North Road, Taipei, Taiwan.
Hsu
Chao-Wei
CW
Huang
Shiu-Feng
SF
Chen
Tse-Ching
TC
Lin
Shi-Ming
SM
Yeh
Chau-Ting
CT
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011168:Portal System / Q000473:pathology*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D012367:RNA, Viral; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase