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Virological and biochemical long‐term follow‐up of patients with chronic hepatitis c treated with interferon
Author(s) -
Castillo Inmaculada,
Bartolomé Javier,
Navas Sonia,
Gonzalez Sara,
Herrero Montserrat,
Carreño Vicente
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.488
H-Index - 361
eISSN - 1527-3350
pISSN - 0270-9139
DOI - 10.1002/hep.1840190604
Subject(s) - medicine , peripheral blood mononuclear cell , hepatitis c virus , viremia , interferon , virus , hepatitis , immunology , hepatitis c , alanine transaminase , hepatology , transaminase , interferon alfa , gastroenterology , virology , alpha interferon , biology , enzyme , in vitro , biochemistry
We studied the long‐term outcomes of 43 patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with one or two interferon cycles, in relation to hepatitis C virus RNA in serum and peripheral‐blood mononuclear cells. After the first interferon cycle, 15 (35%) patients had normal transaminase levels, although only five of them had normal levels throughout follow‐up (complete responders). After treatment, hepatitis C virus RNA was detected in serum and peripheral‐blood mono‐nuclear cells with a similar frequency among the five complete responders (60% and 40%, respectively) and the 10 responders with relapse (50% and 20%, respectively). During the follow‐up of the complete responders (up to 27 mo), fluctuating viremia levels were found, as demonstrated by the intermittent serum hepatitis C virus RNA positivity. In responders with relapse serum hepatitis C virus RNA reappeared concurrent with the relapse, without changes in peripheral‐blood mononuclear cells. A second interferon cycle was performed in 23 nonresponders. Six of them had normalized transaminase levels but four had relapses. After retreatment, hepatitis C virus RNA was detected in peripheral‐blood mononuclear cells with the same frequency (50%) in complete responders and in responders with relapse. Loss of serum hepatitis C virus RNA was only achieved in responders with relapse. During the follow‐up, half of the complete responders lost serum hepatitis C virus RNA. This marker reappeared in responders with relapse, and hepatitis C virus RNA was found de novo in PBMCs of one responder with relapse. None of the 17 nonresponders to retreatment lost hepatitis C virus RNA in serum or PBMCs during therapy. In the follow‐up, serum hepatitis C virus RNA became undetectable in four patients (one of them had normalized transaminase values), whereas viral RNA in peripheral‐blood mononuclear cells was detected de novo in seven patients. In summary, hepatitis C virus RNA status in serum or peripheral‐blood mononuclear cells after interferon treatment is unrelated to the long‐term outcome of the patients. (H EPATOLOGY 1994;19:1342–1346.)