Short-term interferon therapy for chronic hepatitis C patients with low viral load

• Published in: Hepato-gastroenterology Vol. 51; no. 58; p. 968
• Main Authors: Sato, Yoshihisa, Tokuue, Hideki, Kawamura, Naohiro, Nezu-Yajima, Saeko, Nakajima, Hiroshi, Ishida, Hitoshi, Takahashi, Shin-ichi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Greece 01.07.2004
• Subjects: Adult; Antiviral Agents - administration & dosage; Antiviral Agents - adverse effects; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Administration Schedule; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Female; Hepacivirus - drug effects; Hepacivirus - genetics; Hepatitis C, Chronic - drug therapy; Hepatitis C, Chronic - virology; Humans; Interferon-alpha - administration & dosage; Interferon-alpha - adverse effects; Male; Middle Aged; Recurrence; RNA, Viral - analysis; Treatment Outcome; Viral Load
• ISSN: 0172-6390

To evaluate the usefulness of high-dose short-term interferon therapy prospectively in 32 chronic hepatitis C patients with a low viral load showing the rapid disappearance of hepatitis C virus RNA after the start of interferon therapy. Each patient was confirmed with a low hepatitis C virus RNA level less than 1.0 Meq/mL before the start of interferon therapy regardless of hepatitis C virus genotypes. High-dose short-term interferon therapy was defined as administration of natural interferon alpha 10 MU/day for 14 weeks (daily for 4 weeks then three times a week for 10 weeks). This course of treatment was carried out only in cases with the rapid disappearance of hepatitis C virus RNA at 2 weeks after the start of interferon. Sustained virological response was observed in 30 of 32 patients (93.8%) who received high-dose short-term interferon therapy. One patient who received 24 weeks interferon administration relapsed and became a non-responder. One patient refused to continue this therapy. High-dose short-term interferon therapy might be useful when combining the selection of patients according to pretreatment hepatitis C virus RNA levels and testing virus presence at an early point after the start of interferon therapy.