| Theme | Interferon Therapy for Viral Hepatitis : an Update Handbook | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Interferon Retreatment of Nonresponders with HCV-RNA-positive Chronic Hepatitis C | |
| Publish Date | 2000/10 | |
| Author | Yasuji Arase | Department of Gastroenterology, Toranomon Hospital |
| Author | Hiromitsu Kumada | Department of Gastroenterology, Toranomon Hospital |
| [ Summary ] | Interferon has been shown to be an effective treatment for some patients with chronic hepatitis-C. In this study, the value of retreatment of nonresponders to interferon was investigated. Two hundred seventy-eight patients who were nonresponders to the first in terferon therapy were retreated with interferon. In respect to HCV-RNA after the first interferon therapy, virological response(VR) occurred in 27.4%(51/186) of patients who were negative for HCV-RNA after the first interferon therapy, whereas only 3.3% (3/92) of the patients who were positive for HCV-RNA at that time had VR. Secondly, concerning serum levels of HCV-RNA before interferon retreatment, VR occurred in 44% (40/91) of patients who had serum HCV RNA levels of less than 1Meq/ml, whereas only 7.5% (14/187) of the patients who had HCV-RNA levels of 1Meq/ml or more than 1Meq/ml. In conclusion, we found that interferon retreatment might be a worth while strategy for patients with HCV-RNA levels of less than 1Meq/ml or for those with transient negative levels of HCV-RNA during or after initial interferon therapy. | |