Can I read Viral and host factors in the prediction of response to interferon‐**α** therapy in chronic hepatitis C after long‐term follow‐up on EtoBox?

Viral and host factors in the prediction of response to interferon‐**α** therapy in chronic hepatitis C after long‐term follow‐up by P. A. Knolle; S. Kremp; T. Höhler; F. Krummenauer; P. Schirmacher; G. Gerken is a Medicine article available to read on EtoBox.

What is Viral and host factors in the prediction of response to interferon‐**α** therapy in chronic hepatitis C after long‐term follow‐up about?

Acute infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) develops into a chronic hepatitis in about 50–70% of patients. Treatment of these patients with interferon‐α (IFN‐α) results in a sustained long‐term response in only 15–20% but causes numerous unwanted side‐effects in a higher percentage of patients. The aim of our study was to define host or viral parameters that would allow identification of responders and non‐responders to IFN‐α prior to the onset of treatment. We studied a group of 87 patients suffering from chronic hepatitis C who were treated with IFN‐α. After long‐term follow‐up, 18 patients (21%) showed a sustained response to IFN‐α therapy (normalization of serum transaminases and loss of viral RNA from serum) for up to 7 years after therapy had ceased. By univariate and multivariate analyses, no host factors were found to be predictive of response to therapy. Neither the degree of inflammation or fibrosis in liver biopsy samples obtained before treatment nor immunogenetic factors (major histocompatibility complex II haplotype and tumour necrosis factor‐α promoter polymorphism) were associated with response to therapy. In contrast, viral parameters showed a strong association w

Who reads Viral and host factors in the prediction of response to interferon‐**α** therapy in chronic hepatitis C after long‐term follow‐up?

Author

P. A. Knolle; S. Kremp; T. Höhler; F. Krummenauer; P. Schirmacher; G. Gerken

Publisher

John Wiley and Sons; Wiley (Blackwell Publishing); Blackwell Publishing Inc.; Wiley (ISSN 1352-0504)

Published

1998

Language

EN

Field

Medicine (Health Sciences)