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KMID : 0882419930440060775
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Korean Journal of Medicine
1993 Volume.44 No. 6 p.775 ~ p.794
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Detection of Serum Hepatitis C Virus RNA in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C Before and after Administration of alpha-Interferon Therapy
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Abstract
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ackground : At present the administration of interferon is the most effective treatment of
chronic hepatitis C. The purposes of this study are to evaluate the effects of alpha-interferon
herapy on hepatitis C viral RNA(HCV-RNA) and to clarify the correlations among
biochemical, histological and antiviral responses.
Methods : The presence of serum HCV-RNA as well as serum alanine aminotransferase
(ALT) activities and histological changes wre monitored in 30 patients with biopsy-proven
chronic hepatitis C; 15 were treated with interferon alpha 2b for 6 months and the other 15
were seleted as controls.
Results : The serum ALT levels became normal in 13 among 15 patients (87%) during
interferon treatment while none of 15 patients inn control group showed normal value during
flollow-up period of 12 months. Although serum ALT leel remained normal in 3, it rose
again in 10 of 13 responders to pretreatment level shortly after cessation of interferon
therapy.
Histological activity index(HAI) improved by more than 2 points in 5 among 11
interferon-treated patients including 3 patients who showed persistently normal ALT level and
negative serum HCV-RNA for more than 6 months after interferon therapy.
Serum HCV-RNA detected by reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)
technique became negative in 10 among 15 patients (67%) usually one to two months after
beginning of IFN therapy. HCV-RNA was persistently detected in 15 control patients during
the follow-up period. 3 patients with persistently normal ALT remained HCV-RNA negative
for more than 6 months after interferon treatment. But in 7 patients, the ALT levels
remained normal while HCV-RNA was negative but those rose to pre-treatment levels after
reappearance of HCV-RNA.
Conclustion : These results suggest that the negative conversion of serum HCV-RNA is
closely associated with the normalization of serum ALT level and histological improvement,
andthat long-term response might be predicted when HCVV-RNA remain nagative for more
than 6 months after initiation of interferon therapy.
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KEYWORD
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