[Interferon therapy in liver cirrhosis]

Ten patients were given 3MU/3 times/week of r-interferon alpha 2b for 4 months; six patients were given 1MU/3 times/week for 4 months. The choice of these regimes has been based on the number of platelets. Among the patients treated with 9MU/week we observed a type I response (alanine-aminotransferases normalization) in 40% of cases, a type II (ALT fifty percent reduction) in 40% of cases, and a type III (no response) in 20% of cases. Among the patients treated with 3MU/week we observed a type II response in 16.7% and a type III in 83.3% of cases. Treatment of Child A liver cirrhosis with r-interferon demonstrates to rise, therefore, the same percentage of response which are obtained in the treatment of chronic active hepatitis, when the same doses are administered (9MU/week).