title: Brief communication: case reports of ribavirin treatment for chronic hepatitis E.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is currently no accepted treatment of chronic hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To report 2 patients in whom ribavirin therapy seemed to alter the natural history of chronic HEV infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case reports.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hepatology unit of a tertiary care center in France.
  
  
  METHODS
  A kidney and pancreas transplant recipient and a patient with idiopathic CD4(+) T lymphocytopenia, both with biopsy-proven chronic HEV infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients received oral ribavirin, 12 mg/kg of body weight daily for 12 weeks.
  
  
  METHODS
  Liver function tests, detection of HEV RNA (viremia and stool shedding) by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, and anti-HEV IgM and IgG antibodies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both patients had normalized liver function test results after 2 weeks of treatment and cleared HEV after 4 weeks of treatment. Hepatitis E virus RNA remained undetectable in the serum and stools throughout follow-up (3 months and 2 months for the first and second patient, respectively). Side effects were considered mild.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Given the relatively short follow-up, the achievement of HEV eradication could not be claimed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ribavirin is a potentially effective treatment of HEV infection and should be evaluated in patients with chronic HEV infection.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  None.
authors.affiliation: Institut Cochin, Université Paris Descartes (Unité Mixte de Recherche S1016), Paris, France. vincent.mallet@cch.aphp.fr
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mallet
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nicand
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sultanik
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chakvetadze
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tessé
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Thervet
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mouthon
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sogni
authors.forename: Stanislas
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pol
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D016751:Hepatitis E / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016035:Pancreas Transplantation / Q000276:immunology; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D018344:T-Lymphocytopenia, Idiopathic CD4-Positive / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D012254:Ribavirin