title: [Impact of pegylated interferon alpha and ribavirin therapy of chronic hepatitis C on peripheral blood and intrahepatic lymphocytes].
abstract: The role of cellular immune response in pathogenesis of liver cell injury and course of chronic hepatitis C have been previously confirmed. The aim of this study was to determine the modification of T-lymphocyte subsets during pegylated interferon alpha (PegIFN) and ribavirin treatment and its correlation with response to the treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  The assessment of subsets of intrahepatic lymphocytes and peripheral blood lymphocytes was done in 62 patients with chronic hepatitis C using flow cytometry and immunohistochemical method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant increase in peripheral blood CD4+ cells, was observed in week 12 of treatment in patients with both complete and partial response to therapy. There were no significant modifications in nonspecific CD8+ subsets, but after 12 week of treatment in patients with response to therapy, decrease or lack of HCV-specific CD8+ cells were observed. The assessment of subsets of intrahepatic lymphocytes revealed a significantly higher percentage of CD8+ cells in pretreatment liver biopsies from patients with sustained viral response.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results confirmed the impact of interferon alpha and ribavirin treatment on cellular response. Some immunological host factors should be considered in the early prognosis of successful treatment.
authors.affiliation: Uniwersytet Medyczny w Lublinie, Katedra i Klinika Chorób Zakaźnych. tomaskdr@tlen.pl
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tomasiewicz
authors.forename: Roma
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Modrzewska
authors.forename: Elzbieta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Korobowicz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001706:Biopsy; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011379:Prognosis; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D012254:Ribavirin; C100416:peginterferon alfa-2a