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Clinical significance of SEN‐virus on interferon response in chronic hepatitis C patients
Author(s) -
LIN JIUNGUEY,
GOTO TAKASHI,
NAKANE KUNIO,
MIURA KOUICHI,
MIKAMI KENICHIRO,
OHSHIMA SHIGETOSHI,
YONEYAMA KAZUO,
WATANABE SUMIO
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of gastroenterology and hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.214
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1440-1746
pISSN - 0815-9319
DOI - 10.1046/j.1440-1746.2003.02946.x
Subject(s) - medicine , hepatitis c virus , interferon , virology , virus , hepatitis , immunology , clinical significance , hepatitis c
Background and Aim: A novel virus, SEN‐virus (SENV), was recently discovered. It has been reported as a candidate for a non‐A–E hepatitis virus. However, much is still unknown about the clinical significance of SENV. The aim of the present study was to clarify the clinical significance of SENV in patients coinfected with SENV and hepatitis C virus (HCV). Methods: The 52 subjects had chronic hepatitis C and had undergone interferon (IFN) therapy. SEN virus DNA was investigated by using polymerase chain reaction with SENV‐specific primers, which we designed to detect all strains of SENV. Additionally, SENV‐D and ‐H were detected by consensus primers. Results: Thirty‐five patients were SENV‐DNA positive and 22 patients were SENV‐D‐ or ‐H‐positive before IFN therapy. After IFN therapy, in the HCV‐RNA eradication group, all cases normalized their serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT). However, in the no eradication group, the ALT no‐response rate was 68.7%. In contrast, in the SENV eradication group, the ALT no‐response rate was 51.9%, and in the no eradication group, it was 37.5%. Also, in the SENV‐D and ‐H eradication group, the ALT no‐response rate was 54.5%, and in the no eradication group, it was 36.4%. The changes in ALT after IFN therapy were significantly correlated with the changes in HCV RNA, but no correlation was found with the SENV DNA presence. Conclusions: Hepatocellular injury in patients with chronic hepatitis who are coinfected with HCV and SENV appears to primarily be caused by HCV, and is less attributable to SENV.