Summary
IFN-α was administered intermittently over a 6 month period in 39 patients with chronic non-A, non-B hepatitis confirmed by peritoneoscopy and liver biopsy. Three million units of IFN-α were administered 3 times a week for the first 6 months then twice, then once a week. In 26 patients (67%), GPT decreased and remained within the normal range during the course of administration, and in 9 patients (23%) GPT remained normal for over 6 months after the discontinuation of IFN-α. There was no significant difference of efficacy among 3 groups liver histology groups (CPH, CAH-2A, and CAH-2B), but GPT decreased significantly in patients with sporadic hepatitis compared to patients with a history of blood transfusion. Furthermore, GPT decreased significantly in patients with a history of a blood transfusion within the preceding 2 years compared to patients with a history of a blood transfusion over 7 years ago. GPT increased markedly after an early tapering to 2 doses weekly, but it did not increase after a 6 month administration. In conclusion, the long-term administration of 300 million unit IFN-α, 3 times weekly for 6 months, about 2.5 hundred million units in total, is thought to be an effective way to control chronic NANB hepatitis.
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This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid (No. 01570396) for Scientific Research from the Japanese Ministry of Education. Science and Culture, and was also supported by Intractable Hepatitis Research Committee, the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare.
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Ito, T., Sue, K., Kakio, T. et al. Long-term intermittent administration of interferon-α in patients with chronic non-A, non-B hepatitis. Gastroenterol Jpn 26, 187–193 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02811079
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02811079