HISTOLOGICALLY ADVANCED CHRONIC HEPATITIS-C TREATED WITH RECOMBINANT ALPHA-INTERFERON - A RANDOMIZED PLACEBO-CONTROLLED DOUBLE-BLIND CROSS-OVER STUDY

Citation
Jo. Sieck et al., HISTOLOGICALLY ADVANCED CHRONIC HEPATITIS-C TREATED WITH RECOMBINANT ALPHA-INTERFERON - A RANDOMIZED PLACEBO-CONTROLLED DOUBLE-BLIND CROSS-OVER STUDY, Journal of hepatology, 19(3), 1993, pp. 418-423
Citations number
21
Language
INGLESE
art.tipo
Article
Categorie Soggetti
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Journal title
ISSN journal
0168-8278
Volume
19
Issue
3
Year of publication
1993
Pages
418 - 423
Database
ISI
SICI code
0168-8278(1993)19:3<418:HACHTW>2.0.ZU;2-#
Abstract
Chronic hepatitis C is common in Saudi Arabia and most often presents in an advanced stage. To assess the response of patients to interferon , a randomized placebo-controlled double-blind study was undertaken. A ll but 1 patient had cirrhosis or fibrosis before interferon. After a 24-week observation period patients received alpha 2a interferon, 3 me ga units sc tiw or placebo for 24 weeks, then the opposite treatment f or another 24 weeks followed by 24 weeks of observation. Liver biopsie s were performed before and after each of the treatment phases. Twenty -two out of 24 patients completed the study. The mean alanine aminotra nsferase (ALT) levels fell from 150.7 +/- 118.7 units/l to 91.0 +/- 42 .6 units/l after 6 months interferon treatment (P = 0.03) but only 3 p atients (14%) had complete normalization of mean ALT levels and 4 (18% ) had > 50% reduction. The mean hepatitis activity index fell from 12. 2 +/- 2.6 immediately before to 11.6 +/- 2.5 just after interferon (P = 0.4). After interferon there was an insignificant raise in 6-month m ean ALT. Hepatitis C virus-RNA was positive in all 17 patients tested and remained so after treatment. Side-effects were mild and well toler ated. Alpha interferon 3 mega units tiw for 24 weeks is not an effecti ve treatment of histologically advanced chronic hepatitis C.