Open AccessADDITIONAL INTERFERON ALPHA FOR LAMIVUDINE RESISTANT HEPATITIS B INFECTION AFTER LIVER TRANSPLANTATION: A PRELIMINARY REPORT
Author(s) -
Daniel Seehofer,
Nada Rayes,
Thomas Berg,
R. Neuhaus,
U. Hopf,
Müller Ar,
Bechstein Wo,
P. Neuhaus
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
transplantation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.45
H-Index - 204
eISSN - 1534-6080
pISSN - 0041-1337
DOI - 10.1097/00007890-200004270-00039
Subject(s) - lamivudine , medicine , liver transplantation , hbsag , famciclovir , alpha interferon , transplantation , hepatitis b , gastroenterology , virology , hepatitis b virus , combination therapy , interferon , interferon alfa , immunology , virus
Resistance formation is a major problem in antiviral treatment of hepatitis B recurrence after liver transplantation. One possible therapeutic approach is an antiviral combination therapy with synergistic drugs. Four patients who were transplanted for chronic hepatitis B were analyzed retrospectively. All patients had reinfection of the graft and breakthrough of hepatitis B virus (HBV) during consecutive famciclovir and lamivudine monotherapy. Subsequently a combination therapy of lamivudine and interferon alpha 2a (3 times 3 million units weekly) was initiated. Addition of interferon markedly reduced viral replication rate in all patients. Three patients became HBV-DNA negative despite lamivudine resistance, but only two had a sustained response. No patient seroconverted to anti-HBe or lost HBsAg, but all patients showed a normalization of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels. No severe complications, and especially no rejection episodes occurred. Therefore lamivudine combined with interferon might be used for the therapy of hepatitis B reinfection after liver transplantation.