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Hemosiderin deposition in portal endothelial cells is a histologic marker predicting poor response to interferon‐α therapy in chronic hepatitis C
Author(s) -
Kaji Kyosuke,
Nakanurna Yasuni,
Harada Kenichi,
Sakai Akito,
Kaneko Shuichi,
Kobayash Kenichi
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
pathology international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.73
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1440-1827
pISSN - 1320-5463
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1827.1997.tb04507.x
Subject(s) - hemosiderin , medicine , alpha interferon , immunology , chronic hepatitis , hepatitis c , gastroenterology , hepatitis , pathology , interferon , alpha (finance) , virus , surgery , construct validity , patient satisfaction
Interferon (IFN)‐α is regarded as an efficient therapy for chronic hepatitis C, despite the fact that less than 50% of patients receiving 1FN‐α are known to show an initial be chemical response, and several adverse reactions related to this therapy are becoming a serious clinical problem. For a more efficient and safer treatment of IFN‐α, several pretreatment factors to predict a favorable or unfavorable response to IFN‐α therapy are now being evaluated, such as hepatitis C virus (HCV)‐RNA levels In serum and the genotypes of HCV. Recently, the hepatic iron concentration has been reported to influence the outcome of IFN‐α therapy for chronic viral hepatitis. In the present study, whether hemo siderin deposition in liver is a histologic predictor of response to IFN‐α therapy was evaluated, as well as which anatomical location showing the hemoslderin deposition was more closely related to the response to this therapy. Two factors, high titer of HCV‐RNA in serum and hemosiderin deposition in portal endothelial cells, were found to be predictable factors of poor response to IFN‐α therapy, and these two factors were found to be related to each other. Results showed that the hemosiderin deposition in portal endothelial vessels Is an easily evaluable histologic finding, and clinicians and histopathologists are encouraged to use this finding when selecting patients with chronic hepatitis C suitable for IFN‐α therapy.