Antiviral Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection. I. Changes in Viral Markers with Interferon Combined with Adenine Arabinoside

Twenty patients with chronic active hepatitis and 12 patients with chronic persistent hepatitis associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection were treated with human leukocyte interferon or adenine arabinoside alone or in combination. With interferon alone, four of 16 patients showed a permanent...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of infectious diseases 1981-06, Vol.143 (6), p.772-783
Main Authors: Scullard, G. H., Pollard, R. B., Smith, J. L., Sacks, S. L., Gregory, P. B., Robinson, W. S., Merigan, T. C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Antivirals
Aspartate Aminotransferases - blood
Chronic Disease
Chronic hepatitis
Clinical Investigation
DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase - immunology
Drug Therapy, Combination
Female
Fluorescent Antibody Technique
Hepatitis
Hepatitis antigens
Hepatitis B - drug therapy
Hepatitis B e Antigens
Hepatitis B Surface Antigens
Hepatitis B virus
Hepatitis B virus - immunology
Humans
Infections
Interferons
Interferons - therapeutic use
Leukocytes
Liver
Liver - analysis
Male
Steroids
Vidarabine - therapeutic use
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Summary:Twenty patients with chronic active hepatitis and 12 patients with chronic persistent hepatitis associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection were treated with human leukocyte interferon or adenine arabinoside alone or in combination. With interferon alone, four of 16 patients showed a permanent disappearance of HBV-associated DNA polymerase (DNAP) activity from serum. Of six patients treated with adenine arabinoside alone, only one patient became permanently DNAP-negative. With a regimen of multiple cycles of combined interferon and adenine arabinoside, seven of 16 male patients became permanently DNAP-negative. Of 69 patients who met the criteria for admission to the program, spontaneous decreases in DNAP activity without treatment were observed in only 9% during a mean observation period of 10 months. In general, patients with chronic active hepatitis, those who are female, and those with a history of recent steroid therapy responded to the antiviral agents significantly better than did the other patients.
ISSN:0022-1899
1537-6613
DOI:10.1093/infdis/143.6.772