title: Lower-Dose and Long-Term Intermittent Interferon Therapy for Hepatitis C Genotype 2a may be a Possibility.
abstract: We report two recent, successful cases in treating active chronic hepatitis C patients (genotype 2a) with a lower-dose and long-term intermittent interferon therapy. Case 1: A 67-year-old female received IFN-alpha 3 MU twice a week. Biochemical and virological remissions were achieved after 4 weeks and 14 months, respectively. We changed the IFN to pegylated-interferon alpha-2a (P-IFN) 45 μg once a week. After which, we successfully reduced the frequency of injections to once a month while maintaining both remissions. Case 2: A 61-year-old male had received a conventional genetical recombination interferon therapy. However, the hepatitis recurred. He was given IFN-alpha 3 MU once a week. A biochemical remission was achieved after 3 months. After 7 months, we changed the IFN to P-IFN 90 μg once a week, and a virological remission soon occurred. Then, we also could reduce the frequency to once every two months. Our novel strategy using P-IFN is safe and economic.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta Tsukinowa, Otsu, Shiga, Japan;
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Araki
authors.forename: Tomoyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsujikawa
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sugihara
authors.forename: Yoshihide
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fujiyama
authors.forename: Takanori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hattori
keywords: chronic hepatitis C; long-term intermittent interferon therapy; lower-dose