Preliminary results of beta-interferon treatment in the elderly

The authors studied 26 patients presenting with chronic hepatitis C who were diagnosed by clinical and histological tests. Thirteen patients were treated with beta-interferon (3 x 10(6) IM for 2 months and consecutive 6 x 10(6) IM for 10 months) every second evening, while the remaining 13 received aspecific treatment. Our results revealed normalization of transaminase accompanied by marked improvement of their clinical and histological pictures in 54 percent of the patients on beta-interferon. All the patients treated with beta-interferon were followed up for a 12-month drug-free period, after which the disease reappeared in 57 percent of the responders.