Abstract | BACKGROUND AND AIMS: METHODS: Two hundred sixteen CHBe- patients treated for 5 or 12 months with 3 MU IFN-alpha2b thrice weekly and retreated (51 patients, 60 courses) because of no response or relapse were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: After 7.0 years of median follow-up, 39 naive patients (18.1%) were still in biochemical and virologic remission after a single IFN course. Longer treatment and a biochemical response within 4 months were significant predictors, inversely related to relapse by multivariate analysis (relative hazard [RH], 0.611; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.448-0.834 and RH, 0.290; 95% CI, 0.192-0.438, respectively). Retreatment resulted in 18.4% sustained response by intention-to-treat (18 of 98 patients). Patients with sustained response had persistently normal alanine aminotransferase levels, undetectable hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA by molecular hybridization, and significant improvement of histologic grade, and 32% of them lost hepatitis B surface antigen. In sustained responders, serum HBV DNA was undetectable or very low at the end of treatment and at the end of follow-up (median 3934 and 903 copies/mL, respectively) by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. CONCLUSIONS: IFN induced long-term biochemical and virologic remission in approximately 18% of naive or retreated patients with CHBe-. Sustained responders exhibited significant histologic improvement and a high rate of HBsAg loss.
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Authors | E K Manesis, S J Hadziyannis |
Journal | Gastroenterology
(Gastroenterology)
Vol. 121
Issue 1
Pg. 101-9
(Jul 2001)
ISSN: 0016-5085 [Print] United States |
PMID | 11438498
(Publication Type: Journal Article)
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Chemical References |
- Antiviral Agents
- Hepatitis B e Antigens
- Interferon alpha-2
- Interferon-alpha
- Recombinant Proteins
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Topics |
- Adult
- Aged
- Antiviral Agents
(therapeutic use)
- Female
- Hepatitis B e Antigens
(blood)
- Hepatitis B, Chronic
(drug therapy, immunology, pathology)
- Humans
- Interferon alpha-2
- Interferon-alpha
(therapeutic use)
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Proportional Hazards Models
- Recombinant Proteins
- Retrospective Studies
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