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Preferential virological response to interferon-α 2a in patients with chronic hepatitis C infected by virus genotype 3a and exhibiting a lowγ-GT/ALT ratio

  • Liver: Cirrosis, Fibrosis, Portal Hypertension, And Transplantation
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Abstract

Hepatitis C virus infection causes acute and often chronic hepatitis. Therapy with interferon-α has been shown to induce remission of the inflammatory process within the liver and also elimination of the virus. However, only about 50% of treated patients respond in terms of at least a transient disappearance of viral RNA from the circulation below the limit of detection. In order to find prognostic factors for responsiveness, patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection were analyzed for virus genotype and pretreatment biochemical liver parameters including serum AST, ALT, andγ-GT activities. Whereas the initial biochemical response to interferon-α 2a was found not to be related to virus genotype, the initial virological response was found to be closely related to infection by genotype 3a and to a low pretreatment ratio of serumγ-GT/ALT activity. These data confirm and extend the importance of virus genotype for responsiveness to interferon-α therapy and introduce an additional, host-specific parameter with a potential predictive value, namely the pretreatment ratio of serumγ-GT/ALT activity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. From the Division of Gastroenterology and Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, and Department of Pathology, Georg-August-Universität, D-37075, Göttingen, Germany

    Sabine Mihm PhD, Heinz Hartmann MD, Afshin Fayyazi MD &  Giuliano Ramadori MD

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  1. Sabine Mihm PhD
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  2. Heinz Hartmann MD
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  3. Afshin Fayyazi MD
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  4. Giuliano Ramadori MD
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Mihm, S., Hartmann, H., Fayyazi, A. et al. Preferential virological response to interferon-α 2a in patients with chronic hepatitis C infected by virus genotype 3a and exhibiting a lowγ-GT/ALT ratio. Digest Dis Sci 41, 1256–1264 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02088246

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02088246

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