The histological lesions of chronic hepatitis C as predicting factors of sustained response to the treatment with interferon

• Published in: Anales de medicina interna (Madrid, Spain : 1984) Vol. 18; no. 7; pp. 351 - 356
• Main Authors: Gento Peña, E G, López Morante, A, Cordero Guevara, J, Echevarría Iturbe, C, Martín Lorente, J L, Olcoz Goñi, J L, González San Martín, F, Caro-Patón Gómez, A, Jorquera Plaza, F, Velicia Llames, R, Sáez-Royuela, F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Spain 01.07.2001
• Subjects: Adult; Antiviral Agents - therapeutic use; Biomarkers; Female; Genotype; Hepacivirus - genetics; Hepatitis C virus; Hepatitis C, Chronic - drug therapy; Hepatitis C, Chronic - metabolism; Hepatitis C, Chronic - pathology; Humans; Interferon-alpha - therapeutic use; Male; Predictive Value of Tests; Recombinant Proteins; Retrospective Studies
• ISSN: 0212-7199

Although many studies have been implemented in order to determine the pre-treatment factors that can predict patients' response to interferon (IFN) therapy, it is not yet clear whether characteristic histologic abnormalities in chronic hepatitis C can predict such response. The aim of this study were to evaluate, in patients with chronic hepatitis C, (i) the predictive value of histologic lesions for the sustained response to IFN therapy (ii) other pre-treatment (epidemiological and analytical) factors known to be predictive of response. Sustained response was retrospectively evaluated in two hundred one patients who had been treated with IFN for at least 3 months in four different hospitals from Castilla y León. The following histological parameters were studied as predictors of response: histological diagnosis, Knodell index, grading and stage, characteristic histologic lesions of HCV infection. Epidemiological and analytical parameters were also evaluated. The rate of patient's sustained response to IFN treatment was 16%. None of the histological parameters was useful to predict this response. By univariate analysis, age, disease evolution time, mode of viral transmission, GGT, ferritin and viral genotype were associated with a sustained response. The most powerful, and only independent predictive factor, however, was the genotype (the response odds ratio was 8.6). Histological parameters do not predict the response to IFN treatment. Other factors (mainly the viral genotype) are associated with a higher response percentage, although no one is useful to decide which patients are going to respond.