title: Liver function under interferon/ribavirin therapy of chronic hepatitis C.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Quantitative testing of liver function (QTLF) is one way to show the efficacy of antiviral treatment of Hepatitis C. Data on liver function in patients with chronic Hepatitis C during antiviral therapy are lacking. We therefore investigated if and to what extent antiviral therapy influenced quantitative testing of liver function (QTLF).
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundrend seven patients with chronic Hepatitis C (genotype 1) were treated with pegylated-interferon 2alpha/ribavirin for 48 weeks. Quantitative testing of liver function, including aminopyrine breath test (ABT), galactose elimination capacity (GEC), sorbitol clearance (SCl) and indocyanine green clearance (ICG) was performed before and 12 weeks after initiation of antiviral therapy. QTLF was repeated at the end of the therapy (week 48) and 6 months after therapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After 3 months of treatment, 97 patients showed normal transaminases and were negative for HCV-RNA. ABT and GEC as parameters of microsomal and cytosolic liver function were reduced in all patients before therapy initiation and returned to normal values in the therapy responders after 3 months. Parameters of liver perfusion (SCl and ICG) require one year of treatment before returning to normal levels. In non-responders, QTLF did not change during therapy, in relapsers, QTLF results deteriorated after ending the therapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  All liver tests return to normal within one year after eradication of the Hepatitis C virus. Parameters measuring the liver plasma flow (SCI and ICG) require more time to become normal, most likely due to tissue remodelling processes.
authors: Department of Medicine 1, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Stintzing
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Schmitt
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Ocker
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Ganslmayer
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Zopf
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Gahr
authors: E G
authors: EG
authors: Hahn
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Herold
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007372:Interferons / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008297:Male; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D012254:Ribavirin; D007372:Interferons