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- Title
Interferon-alpha therapy with and without interferon-alpha priming in patients with chronic hepatitis B infection.
- Authors
Catterall, A P; King, R; Lau, J Y; Daniels, H M; Alexander, G J; Murray-Lyon, I M; Williams, R
- Abstract
To determine whether a priming course of lymphoblastoid interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) enhances the efficacy of subsequent IFN-alpha therapy in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B, a randomized trial was conducted to compare IFN-alpha priming (IFN-alpha for one month; no treatment for one month) followed by IFN-alpha therapy for three months, with IFN-alpha therapy (10 MU thrice-weekly) given for three months. Thirty-seven patients seropositive for more than six months for HBsAg, HBeAg and HBV DNA, and with histological evidence of active liver inflammation, were recruited. Eight patients (40%) treated with a priming course of IFN-alpha responded to subsequent IFN-alpha therapy for three months with loss of HBV DNA and HBe seroconversion. This compared with five patients (29%), treated only with IFN-alpha therapy for three months, who lost HBV DNA and HBeAg (but only two [12%] developed anti-HBe). IFN-alpha was well tolerated, with only three patients withdrawing from the study because of 'flu'-like symptoms or inconvenience in the early phase. The better response, although not significant, may suggest a place for a short priming course of IFN-alpha in addition to the current IFN-alpha treatment regimen.
- Subjects
THERAPEUTIC use of proteins; DNA analysis; CHRONIC diseases; COMPARATIVE studies; HEPATITIS B; LIVER; RESEARCH methodology; MEDICAL cooperation; PROTEINS; RESEARCH; VIRAL antigens; EVALUATION research; RANDOMIZED controlled trials
- Publication
Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (JAC), 1993, Vol 31, Issue 5, p777
- ISSN
0305-7453
- Publication type
journal article