[Monotherapy with recombinant interleukin-2 (ronkoleukin) for chronic hepatitis C]

For the last few years substantial disturbances of cellular immunity have been revealed in patients with chronic hepatitis "C" (CHC). It was found out that the progression of the disease is closely related with insufficient number and inadequate function of specific CD4+ lymphocytes. Other than this, substantial disturbances of interleikin-2 (IL-2) were detected in CHC patients. This fact served as a basis to carry out a comparative study on two schemes of injecting recombinant interleukin-2 (Ronkoleikin) to CHC patients. 8 min units of this preparation (in the doze of 500,000 units 2 times a week during 8 weeks) were injected to patients of the 1st group and 12 min units (Ronkoleikin was injected 3 times per week) to patients of the 2d group. It was found that two injection schemes were tolerated satisfactorily. A full therapeutic effect was observed in 80% of patients in the 1st group and in 10% of cases in patients of the 2d group. The 2d scheme of Ronkoleikin provided a statistically significant and steady increase in the number of CD4+ cells (from 457 +/- 47 to 763 +/- 123 c/mcl) and CD+8 lymphocytes (from 338 +/- 52 to 520 +/- 73 c/mcl).