Sustained remission and viraemia in chronic hepatitis C treated with recombinant alpha-interferon (rIFN-alpha)

In this retrospective trial we report the immediate and long-term effects of rIFN-alpha therapy on serum aminotransferases, especially on their behaviour in relation to the disappearance of serum HCV-RNA at the end of the treatment and one year later. Eighty-eight subjects were eligible in our study. The diagnosis of hepatitis was based on clinical, serological and histological data in all patients. They showed ALT and AST levels at least twice the upper maximum normal value and detectable serum HCV-RNA before the study. These patients were treated with rIFN-alpha 3MU, 3 times a week, in 54 cases for 6 months and in 34 for 1 year. Patients were examined at monthly intervals. Serum HCV-RNA was assessed before and at the end of the treatment and every six months during the follow-up. A complete response was defined exclusively as a normalization of aminotransferases and disappearance of serum HCV-RNA. The two groups were homogeneous. During the treatment drop-outs were 5 (5.7%), and 7 patients (7.9%) stopped the therapy for side-effects. The treatment induced a complete response in 13 (25.4%) of 51 patients treated for 6 months, and in 8 (32%) of 25 cases treated for 12 months. The patients with normalization of aminotransferase levels but with still detectable HCV-RNA in serum were 20 (39.2%) of 51 treated for 6 months and 13 (41.9%) of 31 treated for 12 months. The cases with normalization of aminotransferases were followed up for one year after IFN withdrawal. Serum liver function tests and HCV-RNA were performed every 6 months in these patients. One year after IFN withdrawal the numbers with persistent normalization of liver enzymes and absence of serum HCV/RNA were 9 (69.2%) of 13 cases with complete response after a 6-month course, and 5 (62.5%) of 8 subjects with complete response after a 12-month course. The subjects with continuous normalization or liver enzymes but persistence of serum HCV-RNA at the end of the trial were 3 (15.7%) of 19 patients with normalization of liver enzymes and still detectable HCV-RNA after a 6-month course, and 2 (15.3%) of 13 cases with normalization of liver enzymes and still detectable HCV-RNA after a 12-month course. Overall at the end of our study the patients with normal aminotransferases were 19 (21.5%) of 88 cases studied. 14 of them (73.6%) being from the subjects with disappearance of serum HCV-RNA just after IFN treatment.